Sydney McLaughlin to double in DL Final - an event she's not eligible for - Update: DL will not let her run

Rules are for peasants.

Lame. Of course SML could easily solve this by running in Zurich.

The "pre" programme? And they are going to pay her how much to do this? I'm just laughing here this is so ridiculous.

1) Brussels as a meet should really be allowed to put whoever they want in their meeting at whatever cost and not be handcuffed because they are the "final" of something (when really the meet is no different from the other top meets performance wise and wouldn't be any different if it was the DL final or not)

2) This could all have been avoided if McLaughlin just, gee I dunno, just ran one DL meet this year? She ran races either weekend of Pre this year and could have asked for any event she wanted there. Picked up a huge appearance fee, done - eligible for this meet and all this nonsense goes away.

It's so laughable but in the end the DL organization did what it had to do to. They couldn't let her run because it was written extremely clearly in their rules so I guess there is some kudos to them for having a pair and enforcing the rules they set which everyone else has to play by. Track and field not helping itself though, yet again.

False start out of a race in Zurich and she's golden. That'd be epic!

I guess the question becomes is whose fault was it: Sydney or Pre for her not running there? This year more than ever that LA Grand Prix meet was a part 1 of 2 to me. It seems to me Nike clearly emphasized the events at Pre where they have star power eg women's 800m over ones where they don't have big talent like mens 800m or women's 400h.

They literally added the Global Wild Card for Jakob last year, I don't know why they didn't just change the rules again. Its not like the DL is a serious league anyway, its just a collection of meets that get the DL brand name slapped on them.

Too bad, last time many people in the US will watch a Diamond League after it goes behind the $30 a month Flotrack paywall next season

Great point. Surely what's happened is that the Brussels meet didn't even contemplate this while they were negotiating with her. So they finally agree to terms blissfully unaware that this rule probably even exists and might have even referenced Mu being in the final last year under "apparently" the same circumstances as a reason not to worry. Of course they weren't the same situation as she was technically a "local" athlete - and now all of this has been left too late. Because as you said, so easy for her to start in Zurich but with the announcement and then word she is ineligible coming so late there is simply no chance she could make that happen.

The solution here is clear. Belgium gives her citizenship and she competes in the DL final as a local athlete

Dumbest post of the day

I get what you are saying but the difference is pretty clear.

With Jakob, Mu etc last year you were adding a stipulation allowing someone to compete. It went from blank paper to "so and so can run if..."

In this case you actually have a rule that would have clearly needed to be circumvented. To double down on it, she runs in a laned event which means someone who technically had qualified under the rules would be excluded. In the 800m and up an extra body doesn't exclude anyone who rightfully qualified.

It think what this boils down to, is that this is a very bizarre situation right? To think that you have one of your sports biggest stars that has not competed in one of your sports premier series of events for an entire season (with no real justification other than choice) is unprecedented. I have been in and following track for a long time now and never seen this before - the thought that a Greta Szabo, or an El G, or Marie-Jose Perec would not run a single top meet on the circuit was absurd. They needed to for their livelihoods.

In a way you can't blame the OC for not having the foresight to predict this scenario and hence having some sort of rule in place that adds legitimacy to their "series".

Good point re the DL and Flotrack though - I'll make sure to pour one out next Saturday.

The individual sports that make their people filthy rich - which is basically Tennis and gold -have between 1 and five disciplines, within which there are about 140 serious pro players- not 30-40 odd events with potential casts of thousands. Boxing has more, but very few boxers, relatively, are rich. And even then, every tennis and gold event lasts days - 4 for golf, minimum 7 for tennis.

The other thing - the filthy rich golfers and tennis pros turn up most every week on the circuit, maybe every second week if they can afford it - they certainly get to hide for months at a time.

Outside her simp base n the US, Sydney isn't a star, she's a niche curiosity. mondo's a star despite his niche event- because he turns up. Jakub is a star - because he turns up. The only 'pros' who resolutely don't turn up are Syd and Mu.

Kersee's crew.

Wonder why.

Having Syd run would have been one of the best things for the sport. Not allowing her to run seems to fit with the objectives of those that run the sport - do whatever in order to decrease interest in the sport.

Win win for Syd ;)

I don't think the difference is clear at all. Neither Jakob or Mu were eligible to compete last year so they went and added a made up Global Wild Card to allow them in. They could have easily done the same thing this year and said some BS like Olympic Champions are eligible for Global wild cards, its really no different than the stipulations they invented last year.

But Im guessing this all came together last minute and now its too late to change it. And good point on the laned event, somebody getting bumped was probably not happy about this arrangement

SML can set up whatever exhibition race she wants right? And she can also duplicate events that are for Diamond league finals right?

SML breaking another 400mH WR with a bunch of national Dutch athletes 10 seconds behind would be hilarious

Did you ask them why they made a press release saying she would run?

Solution is run in Zurich DL Meet, they she will qualify for Brussels.

Just because I haven't said it in awhile...

F*** BOB KERSEE.

Might not be just Kersee. It could have been SML's decision to not do DL until now.