Joggernaut wrote:
More of the "rules are rules" tautology:
I'm not sure what these coaches, conferences and officials think they're teaching these kids with these sort of disqualifications, in this case that sportsmanship has no place in sports?
There are a lot of good reasons to disqualify her.
1. That girl needed medical attention, not another runner dragging her along
2. She is a part of a team. Her teammates are counting on her place to score. She needs to do the best she can.
3. Sometimes you don't finish the race. that's life. train better or race better. You learn something.
4. This is competitive running. You have to finish by yourself. It is the most fundamental part of the sport.
5. Let's say that girl she drug across the line scored points that catapulted her team ahead of another. That's unfair to that team.
Point is, this is not a uniform violation. It is a violation of the very principle of competitive running.
Were I the runner who could not finish, I would not want any help.