The examples in this article highlight the varying impact that technology has had on sport. In the 100-metre sprint, it seems that the strength and power of the athlete dominates, and that no technological development has arrived that requires a change of rules. Performances in the pole vault, in contrast, improved dramatically with the introduction of flexible poles in the 1960s. However, it was the ability of the athlete to adapt to the new equipment ­ rather than the physics of the equipment itself ­ that produced the gains. And since the technology has been widely available to all athletes, the ruling bodies have ­ so far ­ not deemed it necessary to change the rules to deliberately keep heights low. Meanwhile, the authorities altered the rules of javelin by exploiting the laws of physics to reduce throw lengths and make the sport safer for both athletes and spectators. Source: Physics World 13(2000)9
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