TRACK AND FIELD

OFFICIALS

Dr. S. THIRUMALAI KUMAR

M.P.Ed., M.Sc.,(Psy.) M.Sc.,(Yoga) M.Phil., P.G.D.C.A., P.G.D.A.S.P.E.S., Ph.D.
Professor & Head
Department of Physical Education
Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University, Chennai-06

Programme: BPEd
Course : Rules of Games and Sports – Part I
 OFFICIALS

International Officials Officials of the Meeting

(Org. Del., Tech. Del., Med. Del.,
Doping Control Delegates,
Int.Tec off.(ITOs),/ Int. Cros Count,
Road Run & Mountain Running Off/

Area Tech. Officials, Management Competition Additional

Int./ Area Race Walking Judges, Officials Officials Officials
Int. Road Course Measurer
Int. Starter(s)
Int. Photo finish Judges
 Organisational Delegates
• The Organisational Delegates shall maintain
close liaison with the Organising Committee
at all times and report regularly to the IAAF.
• They shall deal as necessary with matters
concerning duties and financial responsibilities
of the Organising Member and the Organising
Committee.
• They shall cooperate with the Technical
Delegate(s).
 Technical Delegates
• They are a link between the Council and the local
Organisation Committee.
• IAAF relies on the Technical Delegates according to the
Technical Rules and Regulations.
• They function in an advisory capacity and shall be
ready to assist in every way.
• They take part in the planning of the competition
• They shall work in close and open co-operation with
the local Organisers and the other Delegates appointed
by IAAF.
• The result of the efforts is depending on this
teamwork.
ORGANISING NETWORK
 Technical Delegates (cont)
• Submit proposals for the timetable of events, the entry standards,
implements to be used.
• Determine the qualifying standards for the field events,

• Determine the basis on which preliminary rounds shall be

arranged for track events,
• Control the entries and when appropriate reject them for
technical reasons,
• Arrange the heats and the qualifying rounds and the groups for
combined competitions.
• Technical Delegate shall chair the Technical Meeting and shall
brief the Technical Officials.
• The report shall be written with great care as one of its main
objects is to serve as guidelines for the organization of future
competitions.
 Medical Delegate
• The Medical Delegate shall have ultimate
authority on all medical matters.
• He shall ensure that adequate facilities for
medical examination, treatment and emergency
care will be available at the site of the
competition and that medical attention can be
provided where athletes are accommodated.
• The Medical Delegate shall also have the
authority on determination of the gender of an
athlete.
 Doping Control Delegate
• The Doping Control Delegate shall liaise with
the Organising Committee to ensure that
suitable facilities are provided for the
conduct of doping control.
• He shall be responsible for all matters
relating to doping control.
 International Technical Officials (ITOs) and International Cross
Country, Road Running and Mountain Running Officials (ICROs)
• Where ITOs are appointed, the Technical Delegates shall appoint the Chief ITO among the appointed ITOs,
if one was not appointed previously.
• Whenever possible, the Chief ITO shall assign at least one ITO for every event on the programme.
• The ITO shall provide all necessary support to the Referee of the event.
• The ITOs must be present at all times when an event to which they have been assigned is in progress.
• They should ensure that the conduct of the competition is in full conformity with IAAF.
• If a problem arises or if they observe any matter which, in their opinion requires comment, they should, in
the first instance, bring it to the attention of the Referee of the event and if necessary, offer advice as to
what should be done. If the advice is not accepted and if there is a clear infringement of the IAAF Technical
Rules, Technical Regulations or decisions made by the Technical Delegates, the ITO shall decide. If the
matter is still not resolved it shall be referred to the IAAF Technical Delegate(s).
• At the conclusion of field events they shall also sign the result cards.
• In the absence of the Referee, the ITO shall work with the relevant Chief Judge.
• In Cross Country, Road Running and Mountain Running competitions the appointed ICROs shall provide all
necessary support to the competition organisers.
• They must be present at all times when an event to which they have been assigned is in progress.
• They should ensure that the conduct of the competition is in full conformity with IAAF
International Race Walking Judges
• A Panel of International Race Walking Judges
shall be established by the IAAF Race Walking
Committee using criteria approved by the IAAF.
• Race Walking Judges appointed for all
international meetings must be members of the
Panel of International Race Walking Judges/
• or one of the Panels of Area Race
Walking Judges.
International Road Race Measurer
• International Road Race Measurer shall be appointed to verify the courses
where road events are held entirely or partially outside the stadium.
• The appointed course measurer shall be member of the IAAF/Association of
International Marathon and Distance Races (AIMS) Panel of International
Road Course Measurers (Grade "A" or "B").
• The course should be measured in good time before the competition.
• The measurer will check and certify the course if he finds it conforms to IAAF
Rules for Road Races
• He shall cooperate with the Organising Committee in the course arrangements
and witness the conduct of the race to ensure that the course run by athletes
follows the same course that was measured and approved.

• He shall furnish an appropriate certificate to the Technical Delegate(s).

 International Starter and
International Photo Finish Judge
• An International Starter and an International
Photo Finish Judge shall be appointed by
IAAF or the relevant Area Association.
• The International Starter shall start the races
(and undertake any other duties) assigned to
him by the Technical Delegate(s).
• The International Photo Finish Judge shall
supervise all Photo Finish functions.
 Jury of Appeal
• A Jury of Appeal, which should normally consist of three, five or seven persons shall be appointed.
• One of its members shall be the Chairman and another the Secretary. If and when considered as
appropriate, the Secretary may be a person not included in the Jury.
• In instances where there is an appeal relating to Rule 230 (Race Walking), at least one member of the
Jury shall be a current member of the Panel of International (or Area) Race Walking Judges.
• Members of the Jury of Appeal shall not be present during any deliberations of the Jury concerning
• any Appeal that affects, directly or indirectly, an athlete affiliated to his own Member Federation.
• The chair of the Jury shall ask any member implicated by this Rule to withdraw, in the event the Jury
member has not already done so.
• The IAAF or other organisation responsible for the competition shall appoint one or more alternate
Jury members to substitute for any Jury member(s) who are not able to participate in an Appeal.
• Furthermore, a Jury should likewise be appointed at other meetings where the organizers deem it
desirable or necessary in the interest of the proper conduct of the competitions.
• The primary functions of the Jury shall be to deal with all appeals under Rule 146 (Protest &
Appeals) , and with any
matters arising during the course of the meeting which are referred to it for decision .
OFFICIALS OF THE COMPETITION

OFFICIALS OF THE COMPETITION

MANAGEMENT COMPETTION ADDITIONAL

OFFICIALS OFFICIALS OFFICIALS
 Duties of Management Officials:

Competition Director :
•Plan Technical organization in cooperation
with Technical Delegate(s)

•He shall direct the interaction between the

participants in the competition and, through the
communication system, shall be in contact with
all the officials.
Competition Director
 Meeting Manager
•Responsible for the correct conduct of meeting, Check
Officials reporting for duty-substitute when necessary
• Authority to remove any Official who is not abiding by
the Rules.
•In cooperation with the appointed Marshal, he shall
arrange that only authorised persons are allowed in the
centre of the arena.
• For competitions of longer than four hours or over more
than one day, it is recommended that the Meeting
Manager has an adequate number of Assistant Meeting
Managers.
 Technical Manager:

Responsible for ensuring the track, runway,

circles, sector and equipments are in
accordance with Rules
 Event presentation Manager: (EPM)
• The Event Presentation Manager shall plan, in
conjunction with the Competition Director, the event
presentation arrangements for a competition, in
cooperation with the Organizational and Technical
Delegate(s), as and where applicable.
•He shall ensure that the plan is accomplished,
resolving any relevant problems together with the
Competition Director and the relevant Delegate(s).
•He shall also direct the interaction between the
members of the event presentation team, using the
communication system to be in contact with each of
them.
Duties of Competition Officials
 REFEREE
• One or More Referee appointed for Call Room ,
Track, Field, Combined events, Running & Race
Walking Events outside the stadium

• Ensure that the rules are observed.

• Not act as Judge or Umpire.

• Authority to rule on any protest on conduct of the

competition Warn or exclude any athlete for
improper conduct (Yellow & Red card).
 REFEREE (Cont)
• In case of a disciplinary case, the Call Room
Referee has authority starting from the first Call
Room up to the competition site.
• A Track Referee appointed to oversee the starts is
designated the Start Referee.
• Circumstances arise –justice demands any events
should be contested again, he shall have the
authority to void the event and it shall be held
again.
• Sign the result.
Judges:

Chief Judges for track, and for

each field event shall co-ordinate
the work of the judges.
 Judges (Track)
• All the judges must operate from
same side, decide the order of
finish, any dispute, refer to Referee,
who shall decide.
• Provided with the elevated
platform, placed at least 5 m from
and in line with finish line.
 Judges (Field):

Record each trial and measure each

valid trial.
 At least two judges to keep record
of all trials.
 Indicate the validity or non-validity
of a trial by raising a white or red
flag as appropriate.
UMPIRES ( Running & Race Walking
Events)
• They are assistant to the referee with out
authority to make final decisions.
• Positioned by the Referee.
• Make an immediate written report of Foul/
Violation to the Referee.
• Any such breach of rules should be indicated by
raising Yellow flag.(mark the place of
infringement with suitable materials )
• Sufficient number of Umpires shall apponted to
supervise the Take over Zone.
1& 2 : Two Judges on either side of the landing area
3: A Recorder keeping the results sheet and calling the athletes
4: A Judge in charge of the scoreboard (trial-number-result).
5: A Judge in charge of the clock indicating to the athletes that they have a certain time to take trial
6: A Judge in charge of athletes
• - Two Judges (1) and (2), on either side of the back of the box
• - A Recorder (3) keeping the results and calling the athletes.
• - A Judge (4) in charge of the scoreboard (trial-number-result).
• - A Judge (5) in charge of the clock indicating that the athletes have certain time to take trial.
• - A Judge (6) in charge of athletes.
 LONG JUMP
2:A Judge at the landing point will hold the tape on the 0,
3:A Recorder keeping the Results sheet and calling athletes.
4:A Judge in charge of the scoreboard for the results
5:A Judge in charge of the wind Gauge (20 metres from the
takeoff board)
6:One or more judges or Assistants in charge of leveling the
landing zone after each trial.
7:A Judge or assistant in charge of replacing the plasticine .
8: A Judge in charge of the clock indicating to the athletes that
they have a certain time to take their trial .
9: A Judge in charge of the athletes
 SHOTPUT
The Chief Judge must supervise the whole of the event and check the
measurements.
- A Judge (2) holding the measuring apparatus in such a way that it passes through
the centre of the circle.
- A Judge (3) placing, immediately after the throw, a marker enabling the throw to
be measured.
- A Judge (4) holding the measuring apparatus on the zero mark on the point where
the marker has been placed.
- A Judge (5) in charge of placing the small flags indicating each athlete’s best
throw. The small flag is placed along a strip or line outside the sector in order to
avoid it being hit by an implement.
A Recorder (6) keeping the results sheet and calling the athletes.
- A Judge (7) in charge of the results score-board .
- A Judge in charge of the clock indicating to the athletes that they have a certain
time to take their trial (8).
- A Judge in charge of the athletes (9).
 DISCUS
Near the circle: - Two judges checking that the throw has been made correctly and measuring the throw. In a
large number of national competitions the Chief Judge, takes on this duty.
- A Judge (2) placed opposite judge (1) checking from his side that the throw is correct.
- A Judge (3) holding the tape measure so that it is held taut and passes through the centre of the circle.
At the landing:
- A Judge (4) responsible for the landing zone and indicating with the help of flags whether the throw is valid or
not.
- Two Judges (5 and 6) who will watch the exact place of landing will have a marker which he will place in the
ground to enable the measuring of the throw.
- A Judge (7) who will hold the tape measure on the zero mark at the spot where the marker has been placed.
- A Judge (8) in charge of placing the small flags indicating each athlete’s best throw along a strip or line outside
the sector in order to avoid them being hit by an implement. In important
- At the landing, one person or two responsible for sending back the discus that has been thrown (13).
Near the circle:
- A Recorder (9) keeping the results sheet and calling the athletes.
- A Judge (10) in charge of the results scoreboard (trial-number-result).
- A Judge in charge of the clock indicating to the athletes that they have a certain time to take their trial (11).
- A Judge in charge of the athletes and of the discus near the circle (12).
Half-way between the circle and the landing zone:
- A Judge will make sure that the tape measure is taut in order to ensure a correct measurement (14).
 HAMMER
The Chief Judge, must supervise the whole event and check the measurements.
Near the circle:
- Two judges checking that the throw has been made correctly and measuring the throw. In a large number of
national competitions the Chief Judge, takes on this duty
- Three Judges (1), (2) and (3) placed around the cage to check that the throw, at the start, is correct.
- A Judge (4) holding the tape-measure so that it is held taut and passes through the centre of the circle.
At the landing:
- A Judge (5) responsible for the landing zone and indicating with the help of flags whether the throw is valid or
not.
- A Judge (6) who will watch the exact place of the landing. He will have a marker which he will place in the
ground to enable the measuring of the throw.
- A Judge (7) who will hold the tape measure on the zero mark at the spot where the marker has been placed.
- A Judge (8) in charge of placing the small flags indicating each athlete’s best throw along a strip or line outside
the sector in order to avoid them being hit by an implement. In important
- At the landing one person (or two) responsible for sending back the hammer that has been thrown (13).
Near the circle:
- A Recorder (9) keeping the results sheet and calling the athletes.
- A Judge (10) in charge of the results scoreboard (trial-number-result).
- A Judge in charge of the clock indicating to the athletes that they have a certain time to take their trial (11).
- A Judge in charge of the athletes and of the hammers placed near the circle (12).
Half-way between the circle and the landing zone:
- A Judge will make sure that the tape measure is taut in order to ensure a correct measurement (14).
 JAVELIN
– The Chief Judge, must supervise the whole event and check the measurements.
Near the runway:
– One judge (1) checking that the throw has been made correctly and measuring the throw. In a large number of
national competitions the Chief Judge, takes on this duty.
A judge (2) holding the tape-measure so that it passes through the centre of the arc of the circle.
At the landing:
– A judge (3), responsible for the landing zone, and indicating with the whether the throw is valid or not.
– Two Judges (4) and (5) who watch the place where the tip of the metal head touched the ground. One of these
judges holds a marker which he pushes in the ground.
– A Judge (6) who will hold the tape-measure and who must place the zero point on the spot where the marker
has been placed.
– A Judge (7) in charge of placing the small flags indicating each athlete’s best throw.
These flags must be placed along a strip or line outside the sector in order to avoid them being hit by a javelin.
- one person (or two) responsible for sending back the javelins that have been thrown (12).
Near the runway zone:
– A Recorder (8) keeping the results sheet and calling the athletes.
– A Judge (9) in charge of the results scoreboard (trial-number-result).
– A Judge in charge of the clock indicating to the athletes that they have a certain delay to take
their trial (10);
– A Judge in charge of the athletes and of the javelins placed near the runway (11).
Half-way between the runway and the landing zone:
– A judge will make sure that the tape-measure is taut in order to ensure a correct measurement (13).
Time Keeper & Photo Finish Judges:

• Chief time keeper allot the duties for time

keepers

• These time keepers shall act as back-up time keepers

when fully automatic photo finish equipment is in use

• The.timekeeper shall be in line with finish & out side

the track(at least 5m away-elevated platform).
• The time shall be taken from the flash/smoke of
the gun to the moment at which any part of the
body (torso) reaches vertical plane of the
nearer edge of the finish line.

• Three official time keepers (including chief) &

one /two additional time keepers shall time
winner of every event(additional watches
considered only when main watches fails
Each time keeper shall act independently
with out showing his watch to, or
discussing his time with any other
person,shall enter the time in the
official form, after singing hand it to
the chief time keeper.
For hand time races on the track time
shall be read to the next longer 1/10th
of a second(eg:11.11 read as 11.2.)
For races partly /entirely out side the
stadium shall be converted to next longer
full second.(eg:2:08.34.2 read as 2:08.35.
for marathon) if two of the three watches
agree & third disagrees, the time record
shall be the official time.
If all the three watches disagree the middle
time shall be official
if only two watches, &if they differ the
longer time shall be the official
Start Coordinator
The Start Coordinator will be in charge of the following tasks:
(a) To allocate the duties of the start team judges, assigning the task
of giving the start to the member of the team who, in his opinion, is
the best for the event.
(b) To supervise the duties to be fulfilled by each member of the
team.
(c) To inform the Starter, after receiving the relevant order from the
Competition Director, that everything is in order to initiate the start
procedure (eg. that the Timekeepers, the Judges and when
applicable the Chief Photo Finish Judge and the Wind Gauge
Operator are ready).
(d) To act as an interlocutor between the technical staff of the timing
equipment company and the Judges.
(e) To keep all papers produced during the start procedure including
all documents showing the reaction times and/or false start
waveform images if available.
(f) To ensure that the rules related to starting are observed.
• The Start Coordinator shall assign a specific
task and position to each Recaller, who is
obliged to recall the race if any infringement
of the rules is observed.
• After a recalled or aborted start the Recaller
shall report his observations to the Starter
who decides whether and to whom a warning
shall be issued.
 Starter:
• Entire control of the competitors .
• Before the start signal is given the starter
shall ascertain the readiness of
Timekeepers, Judges,Photo Finish Judge &
Wind Gauge Operator.
• He shall position himself so that he has the
full visual control over all runners during the
start.
• The warning and disqualification during start
may be applied only by the starter.
 Recallers
• One or more Recallers shall be provided
to assist the starter. (for Staggered start
events, There shall be at least two
recallers).
• They shall place themselves so that he
can see each competitor assigned to him
 Starter’s Assistant:
• Check the competitor .
• Stations the Competitors from left to right
Facing the direction of the run. Assemble the
competitor approximately 3m behind the
start line.
• The shall be responsible for readiness of
batons for relays.
 STARTER -
Positions in races started in lanes or with staggered start
 Lap Scorers:
• One Lap Scorer for 4 competitor (6for
Walking)shall be appointed.
• One lap scorer shall be responsible for
maintaining the display of laps remaining at
the finish line.
• The final lap shall be signaled to each
competitor usually by ringing a bell
• Competition Secretary:Collect results from
Referee&Convey to the Announcer &
Competition Director.
• Marshal :Control the arena – not
allow any person other than the
Competitors & Officials.
• Announcer: He shall inform the public the
relevant details regarding the events.
• Official Surveyor:Check the Marking &
Furnish appropriate certificate to the
Technical Manager.
• Wind Gauge Operator: Communicate the
details of wind velocity to the competition
secretary.
• Measurement judge (electronics): Ensure
the equipment relating to the electronics&
overall charge of the Operation
• Call Room Judges: Ensure the Uniform,
Bibs, Shoes, Spikes, Advertisements.
Non –authorized material cannot be
taken in to the arena.
• Advertising Commissioner: Supervise
the advertising rules & regulations.
Thank You