Lower Hutt boy disqualified from sprint competition for running barefoot. What are your thoughts on this?

Seems nonsense but it depends upon the rules of that competition. I believe that competitors are allowed to run barefoot in Olympics. On a practical note; it is only of value to the runner in long-distance events and even then he/she must have trained that way for it to be of value. In an emergency, I doubt that there would be any penalty if you lost footwear and decided to run on without stopping to retrieve one or both.

I saw this. I think it's outrageous. What does it matter if the boy was shod or barefoot?

OMG that's my home town wtf