Earlier today, The BBC reported that Cornelius Horan received a one-year suspended sentence for tackling Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima and disrupting the men’s Olympic marathon. Horan previously disrupted the British Grand Prix and at least attempted to disrupt the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.
For some reason, the Greek court that tried Horan gave him a one-year suspended sentence. Reuters quotes a spokesman who said that the sentence was handed down because Horan had no prior criminal record. Presumably, they only researched his criminal record within Greece.
If you read Operation Gadget during the 2004 Tour de France, you know that I feel that major sporting events like road cycling and running are in constant danger of disruption. The mountain time trial at l’Alpe d’Huez was particularly dangerous, with many spectators making potentially threatening gestures at the riders.
I think Greek police did what they thought was necessary to protect the marathoners on Sunday. Nevertheless, an attack happened. When I watched the attack replayed, I thought, one bike-riding policeman is insufficient to protect the race leader if he is running alone. I have no idea whether any police on bicycles or in vehicles preceded de Lima, but the policeman following 30 to 50 feet behind him was unable to intercept the attacker.
It would be extemely difficult for fans to profile the spectators around them and say, this slightly inebriated person in a gaudy costume is a risk to disrupt the event, while this other one is just a big fan. (Think back to l’Alpe d’Huez if you don’t realize what I mean.) Yet, the spectators who see a fan attempting to disrupt an event and interfere with a contestant should do everything they can to stop the disruptor. Failing that, they should mete out a little street justice in a spontaneous manner.
Horan should have received a bit of a beating from his fellow spectators on Sunday. Perhaps that would have reached his distorted mind in a way that a judicial slap-on-the-wrist will not.
Cornelius Horan had already served notice on society that he was intent on disrupting televised sports events. He should be jailed for long periods every time he enters the playing field.
The Greek court system has done the world of sports a disjustice. Their ruling gives the impression that interrupting a major sporting event and potentially affecting the outcome is somehow acceptable. They should have ruled in terms of what Cornelius Horan could have done to injure or kill Vanderlei de Lima. Only severe fines and jail time will stop this sort of disruption from occuring in the future.
Update: I closed off comments on this article and removed several of them that I felt were in poor taste. I don’t have time to moderate comments to the extent that I normally would.