WHY WAS A NIKE SHOE BANNED FROM THE OLYMPICS?
A Nike shoe being banned from the Olympics is a pretty rare occurrence, so why was this shoe so special to warrant it being banned?
The Olympics already have their hands full with the blood doping that’s going on, they now have to consider technological doping. And I’m sure, it’ll be a topic of discussion in years to come.
Focusing on the shoe itself, the shoe is called The Alphaflys, and according to sports scientist, Dr. Ross Tucker, they are the shoes that “broke running.”
In 2020, the shoes were banned by the World Athletics after Nike claimed they “claimed the shoe served up a 4 percent increase in running efficiency and an estimated 3.4 percent in speed.”
And in competitions where margins are so tight, these minor differences can be the difference between winning and losing.
Nike then altered the shoes to fit specific regulations and created the Vaporfly. Real subtle, Nike. According to a few sources, the shoe was worn on the podium by 31 out of the 36 runners.
With tech growing more advanced with each passing day, the World Athletics committee will need to be evolving their rule book as well.