02 Jun 2022

Failure to test an electronic timing at Gaborone International Meet (GIM) has cost Botswana its first ever World Under 20 record.

World Athletics has rejected the 9.96 time in 100 metres that Letsile Tebogo set during the GIM in April because there was no zero gun tested for the electronic timing equipment.

The World Athletics technical rule 19.19, says ‘the chief photo finish judge shall be responsible for the functioning of the system. Before the start of the competition, they will meet the technical staff involved and familiarise themselves with the equipment, checking all applicable settings’.

The rule further states that in cooperation with the track referee and the starter, ‘they shall initiate a zero control test before the beginning of each session, to ensure that the equipment is started automatically by the starter’s signal within the limit identified in rule 19.13.2 of the technical rules which requires equal to or less than 0.001 seconds’.

GIM competitions director, Thomas Ndadziila, said the mishap should be an eye opener to all.

He said zero testing should have been done both in the morning and in the afternoon to ensure that equipment used at the photo finish, automatically responded to the signal of the start.

“I think the reason why we were caught napping is that, maybe nobody had expected that from that competition, any athlete will go for a world record, so in future we must do that with all competitions, knowing that anything can happen,” he said.

Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) vice president, Oabona Theetso, said they had a conversation with their technical official and they had confirmed that indeed they had not done the zero-gun test before the competition, something that he said it was an oversight.

Theetso said the BAA would meet with the athlete and his club and tell him what the time rejection means and the way forward.

The VP said they had confidence in the athlete, adding he was still young and had a bright future in athletics. “We will talk to him, we do not want this situation to dampen his spirit, painful as it maybe, and we still trust that one day he will once again put the country on the map. ENDS