Olympics: Electronic shoelaces a knotty issue for athletes

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Runners will have telltale shoelaces and cyclists a chip on their shoulder to track their progress on the road to Olympic glory.

Every marathon runner, triathlete and road walker in Sydney will have to wear shoelaces fitted with a transmitter chip to record where they are when competing.

The "Big Brother" attitude by Olympic officials is not only to keep tabs on the progress of competitors - but to make sure they do not cheat.

Road cyclists will have the chip built into their race numbers, but it is the laces that are tying athletes in knots before the Games begin.

New Zealand's triathletes are worried that the 5g transponder chip may make their shoes uncomfortable - and they doubt if they will be able to test the laces before they race.

"Lacing shoes is a fine art for most athletes," said coach Jack Ralston. "We've yet to see them, so we don't know how they will affect the shoes."

Signals from the chips will be detected by antennas set up every 5km and athlete's time and position in the field will be transmitted to huge electronic scoreboards.

* At the 1904 Olympics in St Louis, an American, Fred Lorz, was hailed the winner of the marathon until it was discovered he had hitched a ride in a car for 17.7 km.

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