NIKE Vaporfly shoes unlikely to be banned

The Guardian newspaper in a recent article said that the IAAF, the World Athletics body will not be imposing a blanket ban on the controversial hi-tech NIKE Vaporfly shoes. Instead, the IAAF are
expected to announce a temporary suspension of any new shoe technology until after the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Elite athletes wearing the NIKE Vaporfly have claimed 31 of the 36 podium positions in the six world marathon majors in 2019.



The IAAF are expected to introduce a tighter set of regulations for new shoes in the future, including the need for companies to present any prototypes to it for approval before they can be used in competition. The IAAF however will not be able to impose restrictions on non-elite runners so the various shoe companies are free to develop newer models.

It is claimed that the new NIKE Alphafly which is supposed to contain three carbon plates may improve running economy by as much as 8%.

As the graphic shows above, a lot of the other running shoe manufacturers are now playing catch up with NIKE.

Full story on the Guardian website.

Jack Stewart who was the former presenter of the Science in Action programme on BBC radio has an interview with a professor of exercise science HERE