To think Gabby Logan was out of order there?

[Newdad19]

A live interview on bbc2 with the head of the IAAF medical team on the decision for Makwala not to run due to illness. Pretty much ganged up with her guests and grilled the poor woman.

It wasnt even good journalism, they just repeatedly asked the same questions which she tried to answer with facts and it was clear she was u comfortable with their line of questioning. Almost felt a bit bullyish? Poor show from gabby

The whole thing was ridiculous. I am also very suspicious about the "conspiracy theory" that seems to be coming out of the Botswana camp - why do the medics hate this particular athlete so much that they deliberately misrepresent his symptoms in his notes?

Talking about communication is all well and good - but if the team have already decided that it is unfair, and no doubt have developed an echo chambers around the athlete, they are probably not going to be amenable to a chat with some Public Health officials.

Incredible that they're not so eager to grill the BBC favourites with any tough questions
(Cough Mo cough)

I mentioned to dp that I thought the Beeb were meant to be impartial, but it was clear to me that Lewis Radcliffe and Johnson were very clearly on the athletes side, and were not going to concede at all, no matter what the medical professional said. I felt they had taken the Botswanan teams pov as gospel and were using the opportunity to harangue the medical lady about it. I was most unimpressed and am considering a complaint. It was unprofessional and uncomfortable to watch.

Talking about communication is all well and good

I think the issue is that this is yet again that the IAAF have got wrong.

In itself it may not be such a big issue, add it to everything else and it becomes one.

iyswim

I thought it was awful. They should have had a public health expert if they wanted to question the decision/protocol. It completely undermined professional, clinical advice about serious conditions as they ignored everything she said. It isn't just the athletes (who will get excellent care) who are at risk - it is the staff, the cleaners, the cleaners' grandparents.... I thought she did a good job in the circumstances but I think having four people trumpeting their misconceptions without being questioned and insulting her professionalism ("couldn't you just do a blood test") was verging on bullying. My dc were both so disgusted they went to bed! I have no idea how the comms was handled.

I agree with most PPs. I was also cringing and eventually yelling at the tv. Denise Lewis asking if they'd "asked the other teams if they minded" whether a possibly infected athlete competed was beyond stupid. And she pushed the point.

(I am sure they'd love to catch Novovirus and have the rest of their team struck down. And as for the volunteers going home to their kids/elderly parents /families on the tube afterwards, and the staff who are surely owed a duty of care at work... would they get asked if they minded Denise?).

The blood test question also was shameful. And the totally missing the point about the 48 hours and what damage might be done in the meantime... Shameful. And it did not stop.

I am glad that you thought it was bad too.

the presenters made themselves sound a bit thick tbh

all that moaning

i'd much rather watch the hedgehog

It was who the IAAF put up for the interview.

That was real car crash viewing, wasn't it? Pam did well under the circumstances but you could see she was drained / furious by the end - I'd have been too.

But the fact remains that the whole situation was incredibly poorly dealt with. The rules have been applied inconsistently, and not well communicated - the IAAF need to do better. I feel incredibly sorry for Makwala if the picture that the Botswana delegation are painting is true.

But the fact remains that the whole situation was incredibly poorly dealt with. The rules have been applied inconsistently, and not well communicated - the IAAF need to do better.

That what I was trying to say but put better .

The issue in Delhi I think had more to do with food hygiene than a confirmed outbreak of norovirus. Plus there are approx 30 other competitors and officials affected who are all dealing with it. This particular athlete was a strong contender for a medal so I don't think his nationality comes into it really.

I didn't see it but she always comes across as very overpowering and up herself. I always switch over when she comes on the telly.

The whole thing is very odd. The bloke they had on from the Botwanan medical team was he a doctor or a masseuse or a physio? I don't think he was a doctor and the lady from the IAAF was. I thought she handled herself very well especially being asked daft questions about someone collapsing but that could have been to a variety of different factors. Did you notice he kept making screwed up faces when the cameras were on long shots and he maybe didn't realise he was on screen.

I think what happened was he didn't want to run the 200m heats anymore but needed a medical note so he could still run the 400m final. I initially heard he had food poisoning but mabye he played it up too much and they concluded Norovirus since it's going about and he got told he couldn't compete when all they wanted was to ditch him doubling-up.

However it hasn't helped the IAAF putting out a statement saying he had three people present when the IAAF Dr said he was alone, that's only going to strengthen the Botswanan case.

It all got weirder and weirder as the night went on. The doctors have no reason to lie - the one who does is Makwala!

There are parts of the bbc's coverage this week that have been bordering on disturbing - it was infuriating the other night when they basically showed Holly Bradshaw crying under her jacket for about 10 mins...give the poor girl some privacy in what is obviously a very devastating moment!

YNBU.

Totally unnecessary ganging up on. The fact they're idiotic enough to think a blood test is how you determine it speaks volumes.

Disclaimer to my previous post: not in any way condoning the IAAF's behaviour because that too had been pretty appalling.

I haven't watched this interview but I watched the earlier interview around 8pm. My guess is that their minds were already made up from that interview. The IAAF did not come across well at all. They looked shocked throughout that interview.
The first interview pissed them off and anyone who came from IAAF was going to have a hard time.

Report of 30 athletes falling ill. Two of them confirmed with norovirus.

Ironically reported by our very own BBC Sport!

m.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/40857720

YANBU - I thought the way they dealt with the situation was ridiculous. She answered them so many times yet they persisted to push the same ignorant questions.

I don't think the problem is with having the norovirus but how it was handled or the luck of information and how it was given. You could see them fuming in the earlier interview. It has been a buildup.

We turned it over when they were going on about asking the other athletes if they 'minded' if he competed, it was just such nonsense and unbearable.

What lack of information would that be? The bloke sought medical help because he'd been vomming continuously, then backtracked when realised he wouldn't be able to run the race?

I think over 30 athletes going down like flies PLUS their supporting staff. With two of those cases being confirmed as noro. Its all quite indicative of noro being the cause and they're being understandably cautious.

The girls ganging up on Pam asking if the other athletes minded is nonsense. Athletes don't get to decide whether to spread an infectious illness around at such verocity as noro does.

It's like someone full of the flu walking into your workplace and asking if you all mind if he potentially infected you for the next week.

It's sad for him. But they made the right call.

It was so painful to watch. 👺

Piglet, again, noone is disputing that the communication was poor and there is potential the rules were inconsistent. I dont disagree with Pam getting some difficult questions regarding that but it was the approach and tone thst was taken by all 4 of the presenters that was inappropiate. It was uncomfortable viewing and thats because they took it too far from being investigative journalism.

Just had a look at gabbys twitter and she seems pretty happy with how she handled it anyway as shes been retweeting various posts of support for her as well as clarification that Pam "was an academic and not a medic". That obviously excuses the way they spoke to her then and gives her the right to question the medical team.

I am so glad you started this thread OP as I was apoplectic watching this interview last night. I couldn't believe the stupidity of all four of them going on about blood tests and would the other athletes mind ffs. When GL said 'well his medical team said that he was feeling fine and perfectly fit to run' well of course they would say that wouldn't they! Hardly impartial . As for the 'how do you know he had it' rubbish, well if 30 people are dropping like flies all around you then I would think it was pretty fair to assume that he was suffering from the same thing! You cannot just allow them to compete on the off chance that he wouldn't infect a myriad of other people.

I have never once complained about anything like this before but will do so now, they were totally impartial earlier on when the coach dude whoever he was rocked up in the studio, they should NOT have immediately started criticising without establishing the facts first.

Pam was great, how she didn't just end up yelling at them all and calling them stupid fuckers I have no idea.