After three days of competition at the European Championship in athletics, Sweden has already lodged four protests with a multitude of turns. Is it really normal?
The experienced athletics leader does not believe that Sweden is the hardest hit in the European Championship in Rome.
He says that the ambition is for athletics' rules to be clear and not leave room for too many subjective judgments.
Olsson says that the turns surrounding Erik Erlandsson and his final place on 200 meters, where different decisions were made over several hours, is a case that can really be criticised.
The events and occasions that Olsson believes still leave room for interpretations are mainly sprint and its starts, and discus measurement. In both these sports, Sweden has lodged protests during the European Championship.
The athletics coach still does not believe that incidents and protests make trust in athletics decrease.
Athletics coach Yannick Tregaro has criticised the competition leadership in the European Championship on Instagram, which he believes favoured an Italian in the triple jump.
"When the jury is corrupt, who do you turn to then?", he wrote.
Olsson does not believe that there is any favouritism in the European Championship.
8 June: Sweden protested against the silver medallist on 100 meters, Italian Chituru Ali, only receiving a warning and not being disqualified for a false start in the final. This meant that Henrik Larsson ended up just outside the podium in fourth place.
Discus thrower Vanessa Kamga's third throw in the final was mis-measured because the organiser initially noted it as a foul and the official therefore did not look at the landing, but instead placed the measuring stick at a randomly chosen spot. The throw got a too-long notation, which meant that Kamga got to continue throwing three more times. In one of the throws, she set a personal record. France protested and it was decided that Kamga's last three throws would be stricken and she was moved down in the results list.
9 June: Erik Erlandsson and Czech Tomas Nemejc had the same time in the semi-final on 200 meters and both were initially noted as qualified for the final as eighth and last man. Then it changed back and forth and it was always the Swede who was struck and re-entered as a finalist. In the end, it was decided that Erlandsson would participate in the final because the arena has nine lanes.
10 June: Samuel Pihlström was involved in a fall in the semi-final on 1,500 meters and barely made it to the finish line because he also injured himself. The Swedish protest was upheld and Pihlström got an extra spot in the final because he could not avoid being dragged into the fall. However, he broke his wrist when he dived to avoid stepping on a lying runner and cannot run in the final.
