Athletics (World Athletics) — Official Rules

Athletics (track and field) is an individual and relay sport governed worldwide by World Athletics. It comprises Track Events (sprints, middle- and long-distance, hurdles, steeplechase, relays), Field Events (Vertical Jumps - High Jump and Pole Vault; Horizontal Jumps - Long Jump and Triple Jump; Throwing Events - Shot Put, Discus, Hammer, Javelin), Combined Events (Decathlon, Heptathlon, Pentathlon), Race Walking, Road Races and Cross Country/Mountain/Trail. Unlike team sports there are no periods, timeouts or substitutions; competition is structured by rounds (heats, semifinals, final) for track and by trials for field events.

In Track Events the winner is the athlete whose torso (not the head, neck, arms, legs, hands or feet) reaches the vertical plane of the nearer edge of the finish line first; placings are then ordered by time. In Field Events the result is the best valid mark (greatest distance/height) achieved across all trials. In Combined Events the result is the highest total of points scored across all sub-events using the official World Athletics scoring tables.

Competition is conducted by a team of officials including the Referee(s) (who rule on infringements and protests), the Starter and Starter's Assistants, Judges (track and field), Timekeepers, the Chief Judge of each field event, the Wind Gauge Operator, the Technical Information Centre staff and, where applicable, a Jury of Appeal. Referees may issue yellow, red and green cards to manage athlete conduct.

The standard outdoor track is a 400 m oval measured 0.30 m outward from the inner kerb (or 0.20 m where there is no kerb). High-level competitions should provide a minimum of eight (8) lanes. The track has two semicircular bends and two straights. (TR 14)

In all races up to and including 400 m each athlete shall have a separate lane 1.22 m ± 0.01 m wide, including the lane line on the right, marked by white lines 50 mm wide. All lanes shall be of the same nominal width. (Tracks built before 1 January 2004 may have lanes up to 1.25 m until resurfaced.) (TR 14.4)

The finish is a white line 50 mm wide. Times are recorded by a Fully Automatic Timing (FAT) / Photo Finish System to 1/1000 second and read to the nearest 1/100 second (rounded up). FAT is mandatory for records and for high-level competitions; hand timing is a backup only. The image-based photo finish determines the order and the times. (TR 18-19)

In races up to and including 400 m a crouch start with starting blocks is compulsory; the commands are "On your marks" then "Set", followed by the gun. In races longer than 400 m a standing start is used and the only command is "On your marks", followed by the gun. The gun (or approved start apparatus) is fired upwards once all athletes are steady in their final position. (TR 16.2-16.4)

An athlete must not commence the start until after the report of the gun. A false start is any motion before the gun that causes the feet to lose contact with the foot plates (or, in a standing start, the feet to lose contact with the ground). Except in Combined Events, any athlete responsible for a false start shall be disqualified - there is no warning and no second chance (zero-tolerance, one-and-done). (TR 16.7-16.8)

When a World Athletics certified Start Information System is in use, a reaction time below 0.100 second is taken to indicate a possible false start and triggers an acoustic signal and recall; the Starter then examines the reaction times to confirm responsibility. The 0.100 s figure reflects the minimum physiologically possible human reaction to the gun. (TR 16.7)

If, after the commands, an athlete causes a start to be aborted without a valid reason (e.g. raising a hand, standing up, failing to take the final position at once, or disturbing another athlete), the Starter aborts the start and the Referee may issue a disciplinary warning (a second such infringement in the same competition leads to disqualification under TR 7). This is distinct from a false start. A green card is shown when no athlete committed a false start. (TR 16.5)

Athletes must keep to their assigned lane from start to finish in lane races (up to 400 m, and the lane portions of 800 m). An athlete who runs outside their lane or steps on/over the line, or who jostles or obstructs another athlete so as to impede their progress, shall be disqualified, unless this happened without material advantage and without obstructing another. (TR 17, TR 24)

For races up to and including 200 m (and for Long Jump and Triple Jump), the wind velocity is measured along the direction of running/jumping. A performance assisted by a tailwind whose component exceeds +2.0 m/s will not be ratified as a record, although it still counts for placing. The gauge is read over a defined window timed from the gun. (TR 17.9, CR 31)

Standard hurdle heights are: 110 m (men) 1.067 m, 100 m (women) 0.838 m, and 400 m hurdles 0.914 m (men) / 0.762 m (women). There are 10 hurdles per lane. Knocking down hurdles is not in itself a cause for disqualification, but an athlete is disqualified for trailing a foot/leg below the horizontal plane of the top of any hurdle, going around a hurdle, or deliberately knocking one down. (TR 22)

In relays the baton must be passed within the takeover (exchange) zone: 30 m long for the 4 × 100 m, 4 × 100 m Mixed and 4 × 200 m (and the first two Medley changes), and 20 m long for the 4 × 400 m, 4 × 400 m Mixed and longer relays. Passing the baton outside the zone, or dropping it and not recovering it personally, results in disqualification. (TR 24)

Where entries exceed the available lanes/places, track events are run in rounds - heats, then (as required) quarterfinals, semifinals and a final. Athletes advance by place (the first n finishers in each heat) and/or by time (the next fastest non-automatic qualifiers). Seeding and lane draws are organised by the Technical Delegates. (TR 20-21)

For a qualifying place decided by time, ties are resolved by reading the FAT times to 1/1000 second; if still equal, the tying athletes share the place and, where possible, all advance. For first place in a final, a track tie that cannot be separated is shared. (TR 25.22)

Except for High Jump and Pole Vault: where more than eight athletes compete, each is allowed three (3) trials, and the eight athletes with the best valid performances are allowed three (3) additional trials (a 3 + 3 format). Where there are eight or fewer athletes, each is allowed six (6) trials. No athlete may have more than one trial recorded in any one round. (TR 25.5)

An attempt is a foul (not measured) if the athlete commits a defined infringement - in Horizontal Jumps, touching the ground beyond the take-off line/board with any part of the body; in Throws, the implement landing outside the 34.92° sector, or the athlete touching outside the circle/runway or leaving it improperly before the implement lands. A foul is recorded but scores no mark. Passing a trial is also permitted. (TR 30, TR 32)

Once called, an athlete must begin a trial within the time allowed (typically 1 minute for High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Throws; longer when only two or three athletes remain, and shorter for consecutive jumps in the verticals). Exceeding the time results in a failure/foul for that trial. (TR 25.17)

Before the competition the Referee announces the starting height and the increments to which the bar is raised after each round. An athlete may enter at any announced height and may pass at their own discretion to a subsequent height; once they pass at a height they may not later attempt that height (except in a jump-off for first place). (TR 26)

Three consecutive failures, regardless of the height(s) at which they occur, disqualify an athlete from further jumping/vaulting (except in the case of a tie for first place). A failure is charged for knocking the bar off, passing under it, or running through, or for exceeding the time limit. (TR 26.2)

Ties on the best height are broken by (1) the fewest failures at the height last cleared, then (2) the fewest total failures throughout the competition up to and including the last height cleared. If still tied for first place, a jump-off is held; for other places the tie stands. (TR 26.8-26.9)

The athlete takes off from a take-off board set flush with the runway. The jump is a foul if any part of the take-off foot/body touches the ground beyond the take-off line, if the athlete takes off from outside either end of the board, or touches the ground outside the landing area nearer the take-off than the nearest break in the sand. World Athletics also approves a take-off zone method using video where used. (TR 30)

A valid jump is measured from the nearest break in the landing surface made by any body part back to the take-off line, perpendicular to it, to the 0.01 m below (rounded down to the nearest centimetre). For the Long Jump and Triple Jump outdoors a wind reading is taken; a tailwind exceeding +2.0 m/s voids the mark for record purposes only. The Triple Jump runway and board are set for the hop-step-jump phases. (TR 30, CR 31)

Senior implement specifications: Shot Put - men 7.260 kg, women 4.000 kg; Discus - men 2.000 kg, women 1.000 kg; Hammer - men 7.260 kg, women 4.000 kg; Javelin - men 800 g, women 600 g. Lighter implements apply for U18/U20 and masters categories. All implements must be checked and approved before competition. (TR 32, Implement table)

Shot Put and Hammer are thrown from a 2.135 m diameter circle; the Discus from a 2.50 m circle (both inside a cage where required for hammer/discus); the Javelin is thrown from a runway. A throw is valid only if the implement lands inside the inner edges of the 34.92° landing sector and the athlete leaves the circle/runway from the rear half after the implement has landed. (TR 32)

For the Javelin, the throw is valid only if the metal tip strikes the ground before any other part and lands within the sector. The athlete must not turn completely around (back to the throwing arc) at any time from start of the throw until release, and must throw over the shoulder/upper arm. The Javelin has a narrower sector than the round-implement events. (TR 32)

The Men's Decathlon (10 events over two days) is: Day 1 - 100 m, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400 m; Day 2 - 110 m Hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin, 1500 m. The Women's Heptathlon (7 events over two days) is: Day 1 - 100 m Hurdles, High Jump, Shot Put, 200 m; Day 2 - Long Jump, Javelin, 800 m. (TR 39)

Each sub-event mark is converted to points using the official World Athletics scoring tables; the athlete with the highest cumulative points wins. In combined-events track races a single false start does not lead to immediate disqualification of the athlete on the first occasion - the athlete is allowed one false start, and is disqualified only on a subsequent false start. (TR 39.8.3)

In the field events of Combined Events each athlete is allowed only three (3) trials (no extra three for the top eight). In the vertical jumps the bar increment is fixed in advance. Whenever possible there shall be an interval of at least 30 minutes between the end of one event and the start of the next for any athlete. (TR 39.8)

The Referee manages conduct with cards: a yellow card is a warning for unsporting or improper conduct; a second yellow card (followed immediately by a red card) or an immediate red card for serious misconduct means exclusion/disqualification from the event. A green card indicates that no false start (or no infringement) was committed. Bona fide participation is required. (TR 7)

All competition shoes must comply with the Athletic Shoe Regulations. At World Athletics Series events and Area Championships, shoes must appear on the World Athletics Approved Shoe List before competition. Maximum sole thickness limits apply (e.g. 20 mm for track events up to and including 800 m and field events except triple jump; 25 mm for longer track events and triple jump; 40 mm for road). The updated regulations took effect 1 January 2026.

All athletes are subject to the World Athletics Anti-Doping Rules (administered by the Athletics Integrity Unit) and the WADA Code. Violations lead to disqualification, forfeiture of results and bans. Athletes must also satisfy eligibility, nationality and (where applicable) the relevant categorisation regulations to compete in a given category. (Anti-Doping Rules; Eligibility Rules)

Official decisions on finishing order and times are made from the photo finish image read to 1/1000 second; close finishes are reviewed against the image. Evidence from a certified Start Information System, official video and electronic distance/wind measuring equipment shall be used by officials as a resource to reach the correct decision. (TR 18-19, TR 16.7)

A protest concerning the result or conduct of an event shall be made orally to the Referee by an athlete, or someone acting on their behalf, within 30 minutes of the official announcement of the result. The Referee may decide on the protest or refer it to the Jury of Appeal, and may amend the result or order the event (or part) to be held again. (TR 8.2-8.4)

An appeal against the Referee's decision must be made in writing to the Jury of Appeal within 30 minutes of the protest decision being communicated, accompanied by a deposit of USD 100 (or its equivalent), refunded if the appeal succeeds. The Jury's decision is final. Where reasonably possible, an athlete may compete "under protest" pending the outcome. (TR 8.7-8.9, CR 8)

A World Record must be set in a bona fide competition, with the implement/track checked, the performance achieved using legal equipment and (for relevant events) a legal wind not exceeding +2.0 m/s. Track records require Fully Automatic Timing. The performance, doping control compliance and an official application form must satisfy the World Records conditions of the Competition Rules. (CR 31-32)

Recent changes in force for 2026 include: the December 2025 Council amendments (incorporated into the 2026 Edition with immediate effect), notably a clarification of lane-infringement disqualification under TR 24 (an athlete is disqualified only where there is a significant effect or obstruction upon another athlete); the Athletic Shoe Regulations approved-shoe-list and sole-thickness limits effective 1 January 2026; and the continuation of the zero-tolerance one-false-start disqualification rule for individual track events. (2026 Edition; December 2025 Amendments)