Rules for Competition
UK Athletics Rules are underpinned by Word Athletics Rules. Where there are specific rules applicable for athletics in the UK they appear as supplements in the Rules of Competition book. The UKA Board governs the Rules for Competition in the UK for the following disciplines:
- Track and Field
- Road Running
- Cross Country Running
- Fell and Hill Running
- Race Walking
- Trail Running
The UK Athletics Board has appointed a Rules Group who assess the proposals and make recommendations to the Board in respect of those proposals and any consequent changes to the rules. The Rules group currently comprises of the following people.
The Rules Group has a terms of reference (updated October 2025) that can be viewed through this link.
The Rules of Competition comprises of three main sections; one that deals with competition rules; one that deals with technical rules and one that deals with general rules.
Current Rules
Following a period of consultation the UKA Board approved the new UKA Rules For Competition at their meeting on 2nd December 2025. These take effect from 1st April 2026.
UKA RULES FOR COMPETITION 2026 (effective from 1st April 2026)
Age Group Changes
The latest version of the Rules of Competition incorporates the changes to age groups from odd years to even years. The change process was managed through an Age Group Change Implementation Task Group that was supported by a number of expert working groups and there was a robust consultation process. The Task Group worked closely with the Rules Group to finalise the rules that relate to the age group changes so that they are presented in a format that is consistent with the rest of the rules in the book.
It is stressed that athletes in the Under 10 and Under 12 age groups sit outside the formal rules, however, the Home Country Athletics Federations do provide additional guidance these age groups on their respective websites.
Other Changes to the Rules
This edition of the Rules for Competition includes, for the first time, a tracking table at the start of each of the three main sections of the book. This details the changes that have taken place in World Athletics Rules and the changes to the UKA supplements since the last version of the book was published.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following link: UKA RULES BOOK FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS takes readers to a series of questions that relate to the production of the latest version of the Rules for Competition. For further information on the Rules for Competition please email Rules@UKA.org.uk.
Rule Book Sales
UK Athletics Rules for Competition are published every two years and copies are available to buy at Neuff Athletics Equipment: www.neuff.co.uk, Email sales@neuff.co.uk and Telephone 01752 893742.
Combined Events Scoring Guidance – March 2026
Although scoring tables are not included in the Rules Book, there are a number of options available for scoring Combined Events competitions as determined by the nature of the event, age group and the Competition Provider. Please click here to view guidance on combined events scoring. For information on the use of the combined events scoring tables please visit USE OF COMBINED EVENTS SCORING TABLES for UKA. The documents outline those options and provides links to help determine the most appropriate method for each competition.
Shoe Compliance
The World Athletics Shoe Rule introduced in July 2020, reference TR5.2 – 5.6, does apply to competitions in the UK and athletes who wear shoes listed by World Athletics as not compliant with the Rules will be liable to disqualification and any records set will not be ratified.
Where a Call Room is operated it is the responsibility of the Call Room Manager to apply appropriate checks on equipment. At other events the Referee will resolve any issues.
In case of doubt the list of shoes that are approved and not approved are detailed in World Athletics documents – Manuals and Guidelines – at Technical Information | Official Documents (worldathletics.org)
World Para Athletics Rules and Regulations
Please visit the WPA website for the most up to date information relating to para athletics competitions https://www.paralympic.org/athletics/events