Post by account_disabled on Mar 6, 2024 0:56:49 GMT -5
In 2017 the American firm Nike designed the Zoom Vaporfly Elite, tennis shoes that reduced energy expenditure by 4%. This was achieved by embedding a carbon fiber in the sole.
The use of these tennis shoes has generated debate, since for some people this advance is a natural evolution or a necessary process in sport, however, for others they are techniques that question the legality of these sports clothing and compare it with the doping.
Those who criticize the use of these tennis shoes rely on article 143 of the Regulations of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
«Shoes must not be constructed in such a way as to provide athletes with any unfair aid or advantage. “Any type of shoe should be reasonably available to everyone in the spirit of the universality of athletics.”
These tennis shoes have been used in Chile Mobile Number List marathons in Berlin, Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago and New York, even in the last year, the five best male marks in the history of the marathon have been recorded, with the official world record of Eliud Kipchoge included (2.01'39” in Berlin in 2018).
Brigid Kosgei broke the women's marathon record in Chicago, surpassing Paula Radcliffe's seemingly impossible mark, unbroken for more than 16 years; and in October 2019 Kipchoge himself completed the 42 kilometers 195 meters in less than two hours in Austria: all of them used Vaporfly shoes.
Given this situation, the governing body of athletics will tighten the rules for footwear technology, after Nike was accused of technological doping.
Is Nike engaging in technological doping?
Amateur runners will be able to continue wearing the shoes, World Athletics said. Vaporfly combines a carbon plate and ultra-elastic compressed foam and is commonly seen on starting lines around the world.
“World Athletics definitely agrees that there needs to be greater clarity on what is allowed in elite sport and in our competitions,” it said in a statement to Reuters , adding that any changes would have to be ratified by its council.
It is not our job to determine the shoe market for everyone. If people want to run a marathon in the Vaporfly or another shoe, it's not our job to stop them. But if someone wants a recognized record, then they are classified as elite and must abide by the rules.
There will be changes?
When questioned about the review and a rule change, Nike stated:
We respect the IAAF (now World Athletics) and the spirit of its rules. We do not make running shoes that produce more energy than the runner expends.
For their part, some sports scientists made their position known in the British Medical Journal, stating that the Vaporfly differs from conventional running shoes in three ways:
It has embedded carbon fiber plates.
The insole is made of super condensed foam.
The insole is particularly thick.
“Each of these components has design features that reduce energy loss in isolation and, perhaps more so, in combination,” they said.
Technological doping?
Doping not only refers to the use of prohibited substances in sport, but also to the use of technology to improve performance.
“This is a form of technological doping taken to the max, it is as if you were putting springs in the runner's feet. The key is elasticity, these biomaterials are thousands of times more elastic than our muscles, tendons and ligaments; and the energy is restored in a much more efficient way,” emphasizes Jordi Porta, professor at Inefc and founder of the Catalan School of Cineanthropometry (ECC).
The use of these tennis shoes has generated debate, since for some people this advance is a natural evolution or a necessary process in sport, however, for others they are techniques that question the legality of these sports clothing and compare it with the doping.
Those who criticize the use of these tennis shoes rely on article 143 of the Regulations of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
«Shoes must not be constructed in such a way as to provide athletes with any unfair aid or advantage. “Any type of shoe should be reasonably available to everyone in the spirit of the universality of athletics.”
These tennis shoes have been used in Chile Mobile Number List marathons in Berlin, Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago and New York, even in the last year, the five best male marks in the history of the marathon have been recorded, with the official world record of Eliud Kipchoge included (2.01'39” in Berlin in 2018).
Brigid Kosgei broke the women's marathon record in Chicago, surpassing Paula Radcliffe's seemingly impossible mark, unbroken for more than 16 years; and in October 2019 Kipchoge himself completed the 42 kilometers 195 meters in less than two hours in Austria: all of them used Vaporfly shoes.
Given this situation, the governing body of athletics will tighten the rules for footwear technology, after Nike was accused of technological doping.
Is Nike engaging in technological doping?
Amateur runners will be able to continue wearing the shoes, World Athletics said. Vaporfly combines a carbon plate and ultra-elastic compressed foam and is commonly seen on starting lines around the world.
“World Athletics definitely agrees that there needs to be greater clarity on what is allowed in elite sport and in our competitions,” it said in a statement to Reuters , adding that any changes would have to be ratified by its council.
It is not our job to determine the shoe market for everyone. If people want to run a marathon in the Vaporfly or another shoe, it's not our job to stop them. But if someone wants a recognized record, then they are classified as elite and must abide by the rules.
There will be changes?
When questioned about the review and a rule change, Nike stated:
We respect the IAAF (now World Athletics) and the spirit of its rules. We do not make running shoes that produce more energy than the runner expends.
For their part, some sports scientists made their position known in the British Medical Journal, stating that the Vaporfly differs from conventional running shoes in three ways:
It has embedded carbon fiber plates.
The insole is made of super condensed foam.
The insole is particularly thick.
“Each of these components has design features that reduce energy loss in isolation and, perhaps more so, in combination,” they said.
Technological doping?
Doping not only refers to the use of prohibited substances in sport, but also to the use of technology to improve performance.
“This is a form of technological doping taken to the max, it is as if you were putting springs in the runner's feet. The key is elasticity, these biomaterials are thousands of times more elastic than our muscles, tendons and ligaments; and the energy is restored in a much more efficient way,” emphasizes Jordi Porta, professor at Inefc and founder of the Catalan School of Cineanthropometry (ECC).