False start change will not upset me: Greene

Adrian Warner

Olympic 100 metres champion Maurice Greene says his sprinting will not be disrupted by controversial plans to rewrite the rules on false starts, one of the biggest proposed changes to athletics in recent years.

A meeting of the sport's world governing body, which starts on Tuesday, will decide whether to support a proposal allowing just one false start in races up to and including the 400 metres.

After the first false start, athletes who leave their blocks before the gun will be disqualified, whether or not they were involved in the first infringement.

At present, individual athletes are disqualified if they commit two false starts.

Greene and Marion Jones have been part of a campaign by top athletes to halt a change to the rules by the International Amateur Athletic Federation.

Asked about Monday's announcement that the IAAF's ruling council would support a change of the false start laws at this week's IAAF congress, Greene said: "I can't worry about what they are going to do. I just have to live with the rules. I am there to do a job. I am not going to change (because of that). I can't worry about that."

Greene, the 100 metres world gold medallist in 1997 and 1999, was talking after arriving at his central Edmonton hotel ahead of Friday's start to the championships.

The final build-up to the event is set to be dominated by talk about the controversial changes, which will be introduced at the start of 2003 if they get the support of a majority of delegates at the IAAF's three-day congress.

Track and field chiefs want to cut down the time it takes to complete events so that television programmes do not overrun. Athletics faces competition from other sports to keep its place on television and officials are worried that the sport is not attracting young viewers.

ATHLETES' PETITION

Many leading athletes have been against revamping the false start rules and Greene and Jones have signed a petition opposing change.

The world governing body has, however, backed down on supporting a proposal to outlaw false starts completely.

"We are aware it is detrimental to have many false starts, " IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai said. "The rule will come into force on January 1 2003 if it gets the approval of congress."

The congress will discuss an array of proposed rule changes, including reducing the number of rounds in field events. A fierce debate is expected since the proposals mark some of the biggest changes to the sport for a long time.

Greene says that officials can push through amendments even if the athletes are against them.

The IAAF congress was due to open the meeting with a special ceremony at a city centre theatre on Tuesday evening before delegates get down to debating the future of the sport on Wednesday and Thursday.