More than 20 years later, Gary Lineker admitted an incident during the England-Ireland match in the group stage of the 1990 World Cup. A gastroenteritis caused him continuous cramps, and he thought that was the worst that could happen when, in the second half, he received a tackle from an opponent and, still on the ground, an unpleasant diarrhea escaped him. "I think I've soiled myself," he confessed to his teammate Gary Stevens before cleaning himself by rubbing on the grass "like dogs do" and thanking the rain. "The mosquitoes wouldn't stop chasing me," he recounted decades later with laughter on the podcast 'The Obi One'. In the end, not only was he not expelled, but he scored in that match, and the 1-1 draw allowed both teams to qualify for the round of 16.
This week, the controversy surrounding a HYROX event in Beijing has reignited the debate on how to manage athletes' stomach problems. Australian Joanna Wietrzyk, world record holder and one of the top specialists in the discipline, experienced intestinal incontinence, continued competing despite having visible feces on her legs - and therefore continued using the common equipment for the event - and ended up winning with an impressive time. What should the organization have done? Expel her? It's not that simple.
Faced with the negative image, HYROX co-founder Moritz Fürste apologized and announced the adoption of a protocol to prevent future episodes. But the reality is more complicated. If disqualification is established as a sanction for an athlete with intestinal problems, it would have to specify what amount is punishable, if they can stop to clean themselves, how long they can stay out of the competition, and what happens if the problem occurs a second time. Such regulations would end up turning a physiological emergency into an almost expert matter: how much, where, when, and for how long. And here lies the fundamental problem: how do you penalize something the athlete did not choose to do?
The International Olympic Committee has never considered diarrhea or intestinal evacuation as a specific reason for disqualification. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, French racewalker Yohann Diniz was leading the 50-kilometer race when he experienced intestinal issues, defecated during the race, fainted, lay on the asphalt, got up again, and finished eighth. He was not disqualified despite the shocking images.
Similar situations occur in other sports. MLB pitcher Archie Bradley revealed that just before entering a game, he went to the bathroom thinking he needed to urinate but ended up having an accident. With no time to clean up, the coach warned him he was entering the game, so he took the mound with feces on his pants and pitched an inning without allowing runs. Years later, former NFL star Jason Kelce admitted something similar happened to him before a game.
In long-distance races, there are some prohibitions, but they are more related to where it happens rather than what comes out of the body. World Athletics rules do not establish automatic disqualification for experiencing intestinal evacuation during a race, but the New York Marathon sets certain limits: anyone who urinates or defecates publicly can be disqualified and suspended from future races. A rule mainly designed to prevent runners from turning any part of the course into an improvised bathroom. A matter of decorum and coexistence that is difficult to enforce.
That's why in other races, nothing is specified. Paula Radcliffe, then the marathon world record holder, had intestinal issues in London in 2005, stepped aside from the road, relieved herself in front of spectators and cameras, and then returned to the race. She won in 2:17:42, and no one even approached to reprimand her. In the 2008 Gothenburg half marathon, Swedish runner Mikael Ekvall had an accident in his pants, decided not to stop, and was not penalized either, although he ended up becoming a recurring meme in his Paris.
It is almost impossible to establish the boundaries between a physiological emergency in an endurance event and the contamination of the surface or equipment in a sport. You cannot penalize the accident itself because there is no reasonable way to turn an involuntary bodily reaction into a sports violation, although the surrounding actions could be punished. Deliberate soiling, not respecting hygiene standards, or endangering others deserves a penalty, despite the difficult categorization. Lineker cleaned himself with grass, Diniz kept walking, Bradley pitched, Radcliffe stopped and still won, and Ekvall made it to the finish line. In elite sports, almost everything can be controlled, but fortunately or unfortunately, the intestine does not abide by the rules.