Formal Letter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2025
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing to publicly clarify why Julien Alfred will not be offering a favorable comment regarding the recently announced LA28 track and field schedule, particularly the placement of the womenâ€s 100m on day one. While early visibility may be presented as a benefit, visibility without fairness does not constitute progress.
Persistent Scheduling Inequities Affecting Women Sprinters
Across multiple Olympic cycles, the scheduling of womenâ€s short sprint events has repeatedly placed female athletes at a competitive and physiological disadvantage. The most recent Summer Olympics made this unmistakably clear: the womenâ€s 200m first round occurred less than 12 hours after the womenâ€s 100m final. For Julien and others, mandatory post-final procedures such as anti-doping control, mixed zone obligations, and media requirements which resulted in returning well after 3:00 a.m. and rising only hours later to prepare for the next event.
No comparable demands were placed on the men.
As the esteemed coach Stephen Francis has openly stated, he would have no objection to such scheduling if the men were subjected to the same constraints. They are not. This discrepancy reflects a structural inequity that must be addressed, not justified.
A Broader Pattern of Unfairness in Womenâ€s Sport
These issues extend beyond the track. We have also witnessed deeply concerning inequities in womenâ€s boxing, where female athletes have been placed at clear disadvantages—raising serious questions about governance, safety, and competitive legitimacy. Women athletes should not have to
navigate systems that treat them as secondary considerations.
Experience and Context
My perspective is grounded in two decades of coaching at the highest collegiate level. I spent 20 years coaching at Auburn University, primarily coaching women, and won an NCAA championship in Athletics during the same era that the newly elected IOC President, Christy Coventry, competed as a collegiate swimmer. Her athletic career was shaped by the Title IX framework, which demanded fairness, equity, and a duty of care for women in sport.
It is my hope that President Coventry will bring these same principles, principles that supported her own success to the International Olympic Committee and its decision-making processes.
Why We Cannot Participate in This Narrative
Given the continued pattern of inadequate recovery windows, secondary consideration of womenâ€s event structure, and unequal conditions compared to male athletes, we cannot in good conscience contribute to a media narrative praising the current schedule.
To do so would misrepresent the lived reality of the athletes and endorse inequity under the guise of promotion.
A Commitment to Speaking Openly
For these reasons, Julien will not be providing a favorable comment for the LA28 announcement. We are, however, engaging with media outlets in France and the United Kingdom to address these concerns more widely and advocate for meaningful systemic
change.
Women athletes deserve equal conditions, equal protection, and equal respect. Anything less is unacceptable.
Thanks,
Henry Rolle
Agent for Julien Alfred
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