Olympic Marathon and Walks Qualification Window to Reopen Early
Olympic Marathon & Walks Qualifying Period to Reopen From September
Fionnuala McCormack running in the 2016 Rio Olympic Marathon
Qualification had been suspended until the start of December, however athletes can, from September, qualify “in pre-identified, advertised and authorised races being staged on World Athletics certified courses, with in-competition drug testing on site”.
The reason for the change has been given as being “due to concerns over the lack of qualifying opportunities that may be available for road athletes before the qualification period finishes on 31 May 2021”.
The resumption does not affect the accrual of points for world rankings and/or automatic qualification through Gold label marathons /Platinum Label marathons, as these qualification routes remain suspended until after 30 November 2020.
World Athletics president Seb Coe said that it was apparent that marathon and race walk athletes would have very limited opportunities to make their Olympic qualifying times in 2021, due to the uncertainty around mass participation events, which rely heavily on cities around the world agreeing to stage them.
He said “Most of the major marathons have already been cancelled or postponed for the remainder of this year and the evolution of the pandemic makes it difficult to predict if those scheduled for the first half of next year will be able to go ahead”
The reason for the change has been given as being “due to concerns over the lack of qualifying opportunities that may be available for road athletes before the qualification period finishes on 31 May 2021”.
“That situation, combined with the fact that endurance athletes in the marathon and race walks can only produce a very limited number of high-quality performances a year, would really narrow their qualifying window without this adjustment.
“We have also been assured by the Athletics Integrity Unit that the anti-doping system is capable of protecting the integrity of road races during this period and will put in place strict testing criteria for all athletes.”
One of the first events up is the London Marathon, on Sunday October 4th, however the London organisers announced, yesterday, that a final decision on whether to go ahead with this years event will be made by August 10th. With Chicago, New York, Berlin and Boston marathons all cancelled, London is the sole remaining Abbott World Marathon Majors race on the 2020 calendar.
World Athletics Sets New Shoe Rules
In a separate development, World Athletics also announced today, interim changes to rules on Track Shoes - Road Shoe Rules remain unchanged. These rules remain in place until after the Tokyo Olympics, and "until a newly formed Working Group on Athletic Shoes, which includes representatives from shoe manufacturers and the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), have had the opportunity to set the parameters for achieving the right balance between innovation, competitive advantage and universality and availability."
| Maximum thickness of the sole (As per rule 5.5, notes (i), (ii), (iii) and figures (a) & (b) to rule 5.5, and rule 5.13.3). | Further rule requirement | |
|---|---|---|
| Field events (except triple jump) | 20mm | Applies to all throwing events, and vertical and horizontal jumping events except the triple jump. For all field events, the sole at the centre of the athlete's forefoot must not be higher than the sole at centre of the athlete's heel. |
| Triple jump | 25mm | The sole at the centre of the athlete's forefoot must not be higher than the sole at centre of the athlete's heel. |
| Track events (including hurdle events) up to but not including 800m | 20mm | For relays the rule applies to the distance of the leg being run by each athlete. |
| Track events from 800m and above (including steeplechase events) | 25mm | For relays the rule applies to the distance of the leg being run by each athlete. For race walking events the maximum thickness of the sole is the same as that for road events. |
| Cross country | 25mm | |
| Road events (running and race walking events) | 40mm | |
| Events under rule 57 of the technical rules | Any thickness |
World athletics Ceo, Jon Ridgeon said “In developing these rules we have been mindful of the principles of fair play and universality, maintaining the health and safety of athletes, reflecting the existing shoe market in these challenging economic times, and achieving a broad consensus with the shoe manufacturers who are major investors in our sport.
