Comment by Míla Lapka, February 11, 2019:

Upon request and in cooperation with the ČAS Chief Coach, we responded to the IAAF Commission with their persuasive letter on the need for change, meaning that we welcome all the changes and efforts that will lead to the development of racing. However, if all changes are explicitly conditioned by the use of a control system - shoe insoles, then we ask what does this system control and how does it work? Without this basic information, no major strategic decisions can be required of national athletic federations.

Does the system check both contact and switching? Will it really be accessible to everyone? How does the system work? Does it give feedback outside the stadium? Isn't it possible to train and race outside the stadium against the nature of endurance athletes?

For these questions, which were raised by most other athletic federations, we received the following IAAF statements in the form of answers to frequently asked questions (so they basically remained unanswered).

Frequently asked questions - selected answers from the IAAF Walking Commission to the national athletic federations:

  • Who develops the Shoe Insole Control System?

Group from the Research and Technology Center, Catalonia Polytechnic University, project leader Antonio Amigo, current pedestrian and coach, Barcelona.

  • How can the IAAF Walking Commission propose something and rely on some kind of control system when no one has seen it in practice?

Due to the protection of intellectual and patent property and investments made by the IAAF, it is not possible to disclose further information, it will be patented. It must not be tested publicly until then. CHA members of the IAAF saw the testing and were satisfied with how the system works.

  • What is the current situation with the project of the Control System - shoe insoles?

The inline training system was successfully tested in Barcelona in June 2017, on various somatotypes of athletes and in various types of shoes with the participation of coaches Valentino Massano (bronze at the 50km 1996, world champion at 20km 1993, now a research and development worker - physicist) and Monts Pastor, Coach. Everyone was very interested in how the system works and gives real-time feedback to athletes and coaches. The racing system will be tested in the first quarter of 2019 and then commercial partners will be contacted for production.

  • Can the system work in every shoe?

It has been tested in every type of shoe, even in heavy boots for mountain climbing. Also in a variety of weather conditions, including heat, frost humidity and rain.

  • How much will the Control System cost?

The price has not yet been confirmed, but the plan is that it will be available to everyone.

 Personal comment:

There is no doubt that changes will take place and there is an effort to make these changes commercially successful - conditional on the introduction of a control system. Completely unknown and secret information is how the system works, what is the tolerance for the flight phase, whether it is set as a human eye, etc.

Instead, we learn promising proclamations in the rationale.

It is no coincidence that the change of course and the control system is strongly supported from Spain, where the system is evolving, nor is it any coincidence that it is Spain and the largest representation after the purge of international referees that is possible, followed by Italy. Apart from this policy, the question is whether any walking judges will continue to be needed at all. Will it be similar to the target camera, when the judges also do not measure time or determine the order for a long time? This step would only benefit the objectivity of decision-making. But we are again completely dependent on the future form of racing walking on technical equipment - electronic shoe insoles.

However, let's try to disengage from the temporary power cliques and see if it can really save walking. The shortening of the lines has primarily commercial, not rational, reasons. But precisely because athletics is in the lurch of media and media today and competes for favor, attention and money with other sports and entertainment, there is no other way, according to the management of world athletics, if the racing walk does not want to get out of this athletic carousel.

We will soon remember the 50 km and 20 km performances as history. The shortening of the tracks may bring the much-anticipated influx of applicants. Everyone who is healthy will survive 10 km. Not much will change for Czech walking. Maybe it's just that the top ten will attract more youth, which would be good, but the world will be well below 40:00. These changes come from outside. Since we have survived a lot of stupidity and envy coming from within the pedestrian community itself, I am not afraid of these changes. It will require different training and different mental settings - for a real 10km sprint with good technique. It will also be easier for top racers to manage both tracks than it was on the 20 and 50 km.

In addition, if the shortening of the tracks is combined with Pit-Lane (there is not a word about it in the proclamations, but given the Spanish authorship of this news, I am convinced that this rule will be kept alive) it will be a real show for the media. It is probably the near future of athletics that will take away a lot and bring something positive again. If it were really the increased interest of young people and the public in racing walking to try and move, then these changes will bear fruit.