A safety over-reach

Stuff reports:

A mother has been left fuming after her son was disqualified from a Lower Hutt athletics tournament for running in bare feet.

Organisers say it was to protect the 10-year-old’s toes from spiked shoes, and to maintain an equal playing field. But the decision has attracted criticism from some of our Olympic running greats. …

Lower Hutt School Sports Association spokesman Neil Sargisson said the rule was there to help protect kids’ feet from spiked shoes because young runners sometimes struggled to stick to their lanes.

So can the LHSA tell us how many kids were getting injured from running in bare feet before their ban? Scores? Dozens? Even one? Or was this a solution looking for a problem?

Sir John Walker, 64, who won gold in the 1500m at the Olympic Games in 1976, said the situation was “political correctness all gone wrong”.

“I ran in bare feet until I was 17 along with hundreds of other kids. Soon the kids of today will be unable to do anything due to the new health and safety rules. I am not a fan of these restrictions.”

Hear hear.