Farce as Paris Olympics gold medal event abandoned mid-race TWICE in two hours leaving BBC commentator stunned
VIEWERS and pundits were left stunned after this afternoon’s men’s skiff medal race was abandoned TWICE in two hours.
The flat conditions in Marseille meant the event was aborted yet again after Team GB had improved following the first restart.
Team GB‘s James Peters and Fynn Sterritt were fourth in the predictive standings when the sailing race was KO’d again.
Take two was called off after judges again determined the boats were struggling with a lack of wind.
They will have another chance to earn a medal, but it is not known when the race will start for a third time.
The event was being broadcast live on BBC One.
Its abrupt conclusion – coming only two hours after it was first stopped – left commentator Niall Myant completely stunned.
He said: “I have seen the race control boat go past. I cannot remember a time they’ve had to abandon a medal race and it has happened twice now.
“The wind has just evaporated off the course! The GB pair were just making moves.
“For a medal race to be twice abandoned. That is really quite spectacular.”
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After the first postponement, Myant had explained: ” I have never seen that in a medal race at the Olympic level.
“I can only imagine it’s because the breeze has drifted so dramatically the committee have decided it’s unfair so they’ve abandoned the race. Quite the moment.
“That would have been a really hard decision.
“These are the best of the best, they train and work at this, they commit themselves to making the playing field as level as possible and they obviously felt that it was unworkable, it was pushing boats forward that shouldn’t have been there and they’ve decided to let this one go.
“Great Britain were not having the greatest race. I cannot believe we have abandoned a medal race.
“It’s a shorter race, so you normally only need one small patch in the wind. Even the race management team are saying we got this one wrong.
“The conversation here can’t be wait too long here, you need to just wait for the next one.”
Viewers at home were also left baffled.
One wrote: “I’d be p***ed if I were in the lead to get a medal and the entire race gets cancelled because the wind stopped.”
Although a second joked: “Sailing was the winner there!”