WORLD Championship athletes claiming to be poorly with a tummy bug must have a note signed by a parent, officials have confirmed.
Competitors in the World Athletics Championships are claiming to have ‘a 24 hour bug thing’ and have offered handwritten sicknotes which are being carefully scrutinised by organisers.
World Championships official Martin Bishop said: “Running round and round is boring and tiring, we know this. Athletes will try anything to get out of taking part, especially if it’s raining.
“Some claim they’ve forgotten their kit, but this is risky because they know we’ll probably make them wear the smelly shorts and dirty vest from the lost property box or, failing that, do it in their pants.
“Unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about genuine notes written by soppy mums who will crumble at the first hint of tears and write down a load of lies to get their kids out of it.”
