RULES SHOULDN'T RUIN RACING

Without common-sense application of the rules, petty penalties risk undermining the spectacle of elite sport on the biggest stages

- TIM HEMING

By the time you read this the Olympics will have bidden au revoir for another four years and hopefully the host nation's bold ambition to clean up its capital's waterway has paid off and swim, bike and run has been showcased in all its glory.

But heading into the Games there was another factor with far less focus than water quality that threatened to undermine the racing, and that was the overly officious awarding of penalties for the slightest misdemeanour.

Anyone with a keen eye on the World Triathlon Championship Series event in Hamburg, the last major weekend of racing before Paris, will have noticed the slew of penalties handed out for helmet violations in the first transition.

It's one thing for the athlete to embark on the bike with the helmet unclipped understandable safety but here 10sec standconcerns downs were handed out for the slightest touch of an already secured chinstrap as they ran their bikes towards the mount line.