New Development In Athletic Timing Expected

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 94, 31 October 1947, Page 5

New Development In Athletic Timing Expected

Official recognition to the use of electrical timing in athletics had not yet been given by the International Federation, said the secretary of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, Mr J. W. Holley, speaking at the annual meeting of the Hawke’s Bay-Poverty Bay centre of the association recently. It was expected, however, that new development in timing would follow the coming Olympic Games. Mr Holley said that advice to this effect had already been received by the N.Z.A.A.Ar when it had written to the International Federation seeking a ruling. The parent body had recently made inquiries in Wellington concerning the installation of electrical timing equipment and had found a firm which was prepared to supply the equipment at a cost of about £250.

Mr Frank Sharpley, coach for the centre, said that the days when sprint times could be recorded to one-fifth of a second were definitely gone; they would have to be taken to the one-tenth of' a second at least. In good class it was impossible to break a record by one-fifth of a second. * In America they were even thinking of taking sprint times to the one-hundredth of a second, he said.

Asked ‘by the chairman, Mr N. A. McKehzie, as to what was overseas opinion of photo finishes for athletics, Mr Sharpley said that Olympic Games officials were against them at present. There was particular opposition to the system in England.