IAAF Official Document: Racing Walk - Competition Program - Draft

From the original Race Walking Competition Program for the walking public prepared and commented by Míla Lapka

The IAAF Walking Commission, after careful consideration, has recommended major changes to the IAAF Council in order to secure the future of racing at major international athletics competitions. equality between men and women has been achieved at the Olympic Games and at all major international competitions, always on two tracks for men and women.

The length of the tracks for the adult category should be changed from 20km and 50km to 10km and 30km from 2023 at the World Championships in Athletics. An electronic control system based on electronic chips in the shoe insole should be introduced in competitions from 2021.

 Proposed changes

Events

Men

Women

Tokyo 2020 Olympics

20km / 50km

20 km (*)

Oregon 2021 World Championships in Athletics

20km / 30km

20km / 30km

2022 World Championship teams in walking

10km / 30km

10km / 30km

Budapest 2023 World Championships in Athletics

10km / 30km

10km / 30km

Paris 2024 Olympics

10km / 30km

10km / 30km

(*) Following the meeting of the IAAF Council in December 2019, it was recommended that the International Olympic Committee also include 50km women in the Tokyo Olympics program.

This decision and the associated recommendation in Monaco on 2 February 2 were adopted after many discussions, after two years. In fact, the process of consulting with the world's top pedestrians began in September 2019 as part of a strategic plan for the development of racing walking.

The IAAF Walking Commission is proud of its unprecedented efforts to involve all decision-makers and institutions in this debate (including athletes, coaches, referees, other IAAF commissions and groups, fans, sponsors, organizers, announcers and others). This effort was accompanied by a bilingual questionnaire (early 2018) which was completed by over 1650 individuals and 100 athletic federations, including the possibility of self-design. The IAAF Walking Commission carefully balanced the views expressed and this proposed change.

It is important to know that several current global pedestrians have worked with the Commission, as well as with internal and external partners, on the following proposals:

  • Improve the promotion and presentation of our discipline, including the display of graphics online, including the rules of knowledgeable commentators and the display of biometric data of competitors
  • Creatively promote the speed and technique of our discipline by drawing the audience into interactive participation during the race, for example "go like them and fight like a champion"
  • Increase the number of walking races (together with the development of continental and world championships, other IAAF World Series competitions or as a stand-alone promotion) by promoting the beneficial health effects of walking on the human population.
  • Improve the promotion of today's world walking stars
  • Revise the current rules, introducing a rule for the application of new technology.
  • Improve the training and practice of international and gradually national walking judges in terms of universal application of the rules.
  • Improve the promotion of universal availability of racing walking for everyone.
  • Promote world walking competitions better and show athletes from all countries under the IAAF that it is possible to excel in racing walking and reach the podium.

The IAAF Walking Commission is aware that the proposed changes will affect the physical and mental training of current athletes. That is why it is happening two years in advance and the IAAF Walking Commission is convinced that pedestrians will withstand this challenge. The proposed changes in track length and the introduction of gait control and decision-making technology will help increase gait participation and development, as well as enable the next generation of pedestrians to encourage and inspire more athletes to race and also race more often than on long distances. Although many members of the IAAF Walking Commission have been on the program of international races since 20 to maintain the longer 50km and 1930km tracks, they themselves have understood and recognized that the current environment in which the sport is run is under competitive pressure from other athletes, spectators, media and sponsors than it did ten years ago. Each member of the IAAF Walking Commission is aware that the longer tracks at the elite level of the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics evoked great emotions of spectators, but the declining number of competitors and world-class specialists is a factor that cannot be overlooked.

In an effort to survive as a discipline in this competitive environment, the proposal to change the championship tracks was made in line with several other measures that were supported by today's top pedestrians and other important people and institutions, as listed above. It should be reiterated that the track change proposal, if approved, will become a reality over time and 10km will be included in the Athletics Olympics and Championships program once the control chip technology is verified to be effective and allow for greater agreement in walking decisions. 

IAAF Walking Commission, Monaco, February 6, 2019