DNF rule explained

A Short Track speedskater may be penalized with DNF (Did Not Finish) when the skater does not skate all laps of a race. However, the chief referee is also entitled to end the race before all skaters have made it to the finish line. It is usually done to gain time and should only happen when a skater has fallen during the race.

Ambiguity arises when a skater has fallen but is not making a real effort to continue his laps. In case of an injury or temporal confusion due to a concussion, the consequences are harsh because of the following reason: although it is safer for a skater to go in the middle and wait for the other skaters to finish their race, the skater is actually penalized with a DNF causing exclusion to proceed to the next round of the distance (rules 2014).

At the Europa Cup Final in Budapest, such case arose which meant that the skater was excluded from the B final 1000m which was held the next day. Not only preventing that he would be able to race, but also the unability to earn any final points to move up in the overall classification.

To me, it was told that if a skater skates to the middle of the track after a fall, he exits the track and therefore is not able to complete his laps. This statement actually means that after a fall, the area you are allowed to skate actively shrinks compared to a skater who has not fallen down. Also, a skater does not have to obtain any minimum speed at any time during the race. Falling on its own is not a fault, therefore, skating very slow is also allowed. It technically means that standing still in the track is also allowed and therefore a Did Not Finish should never be given as long as the Short Track skater is still on his feet as he has in fact unlimited time to complete his race.

Update: On the StarClass in Utrecht (2-4 December 2016), a new kind of interpretation was used. A Belgian skater ended up inside the blocks because of an exaggerated cross-track maneuver by a French skater, for which the French skater got a penalty. Since places 1, 2 and 3 where qualifying positions and the Belgian skater was about to pass the French skater, he should have been advanced to the next round. However, instead of being advanced to the next round, he ended up getting a Did Not Finish, because in the opinion of the referees, the Belgian skater was not doing any effort to complete its race. The Belgian skater did not fall down, but was forced into off track. Although he did come into the track again and skated his missed corner again, he did not get advanced, apparently, he skated to slow (?). Luckily, he was able to advance to the next round due to the change in 2016 rules. He also stayed in the same lower group, so apparently DNF is just last place now, but without any chance to get advanced… However in a final a DNF results in the same amount of points as someone with a penalty would receive. Strange to say the least.

What do you think? Should a DNF be removed from or more consistently be applied in the rulebook? Or should it be kept, only for cases where the skater is unable to complete his race at which point the race is cancelled for safety reasons?