Get rid of it , everytime I see it thrown at a track meet around hundreds of poeple walking by, it gives me the creeps.

Have you ever been an athlete? If so I don't believe you could make those comments about javelin or any of the other sports you chose to bring down. Sure there are sports that are dangerous, but so are many other things, so to make such rash comments seems idiotic to me

So the javelin has been the same way for thousands of years, and now suddenly it is unsafe? How about we just get out of the way and let them throw it?

And it is unsafe in the hands of some of the people throwing it. Some are completely untrained and don't have a clue.

I threw the javelin in high school and at BYU. It is not dangerous if people stay off the javelin field and the thrower doesn't throw in the crowds. How about all the people hit by shot puts and discuses? How about all the hurdlers hurt when they trip over the hurdles? Have you seen a pole vaulter fall down 15-17 feet and miss the pit?

The fault is almost always someone that gets on the field without looking when the javelin event is taking place. Very few times have javelin throwers (known for their accuracy) thrown and hit people off the field. If a person walks in front of someone shooting their gun most people would think they are stupid (and dead).

The problem is not the javelin, per se, it is the person walking in front of the javelin.

On a related note, a silent killer is among us. Many Utahn's regularly climb into a steel cage, mix dangerous levels of gasoline and electricity, then proceed to catapult themselves into speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour while listening to the Bee Gee's rendition of "how deep is your love". Madness.

i think that if anyone at the high school age is chasing a bee with a jav in their hands they get what they get.
if your gonna take jav out of high school you might as well take football out, or soccer, or all sports for that matter. injuies are goin to happen in a sport no matter what. u just have to be safe while doing them and not chase bees around.

Since 1968, I have been a javelin thrower and since 1975 an official for the event (currently a national official for USA Track and Field). I was the head official on the field at BYU when the accident occured on 17 May. As an official, I have measured more then 30,000 throws and this accident was the first time I have ever seen somebody impaled. When accidents happen in this event, it is almost never the fault of a thrower, an official or a coach. I will continue to work with this event and will maintain my standards of safety--my first concern--for all persons involved.