The Athletics Facility

In the world of athletics, the events take place on specific surfaces that meet certain standards outlined in the Track and Field Facilities Manual. This manual provides detailed instructions on how facilities should be planned and constructed.

Now, when it comes to competitions held in stadiums with a 400m Standard Oval Track, specific rules apply:

For competitions that fall under the World Athletics Series¹ and Olympic Games², a facility must have a World Athletics Class 1 Athletics Facility Certificate. This certificate ensures that the facility meets high standards. Additionally, it is recommended that a World Athletics Class 1 Athletics Facility is used for other competitions held by World Athletics or Area Associations.

A World Athletics Class 2 Athletics Facility Certificate is required for The athletics programme of Games and other Athletics Competitions with participants from different Areas³, Area Championships⁴, Intra-Area Competitions⁵ and The athletics programme of Games and other Athletics Competitions with participants from a single Area⁶.

It is recommended that all competitions (not mentioned above) held by World Athletics, Area Associations or National Member Federations, be held on certified facilities or, at least, the facility must conform to the Rules and Regulations.

1. World Athletics Series. Paragraph 1.(a) of the World Rankings Competition definition. ↩︎
2. Olympic Games. Paragraph 1.(b) of the World Rankings Competition definition. ↩︎
3. The athletics programme of Games and other Athletics Competitions with participants from different Areas. Paragraph 1.(c) of the World Rankings Competition definition. ↩︎
4. Area Championships. Paragraph 2.(a) of the World Rankings Competition definition. ↩︎
5. Intra-Area Competitions. Paragraph 2.(b) of the World Rankings Competition definition. ↩︎
6. The athletics programme of Games and other Athletics Competitions with participants from a single Area. Paragraph 2.(c) of the World Rankings Competition definition. ↩︎