Introduction

The new IAAF Athletes' Representatives Regulations, which shall apply to anyone wishing to represent Athletes listed in the Top-30 of the IAAF World Lists, are in force as from 1st May.

Process to become an IAAF Athletes' Representative from 1 January 2012

If you intend to represent an Athlete ranked in the Top 30 of the IAAF World List ("Top 30 List as at 23Sep11") you have to submit your "Application Form" (Appendix 2) and any applicable administration fee to one of the following Member Federations:

  • The Member Federation of any of the Athletes you intend to represent
  • Or the Member Federation of the country of which you are a citizen
  • Or the Member Federation of the country you reside in

Deadline to submit your Application Form - 3 October 2011.

Once your Application Form is accepted, if your name is not listed in the document "ARs Exempt Exam", you have to pass the Examination on 3 December 2011. Further details of the Exam (venues, content etc.) shall be notified shortly.

The conditions to be exempt from taking the Examination are in Chapter 5.4 of the IAAF Athletes' Representatives Regulations.

Once you are notified that your Application Form has been accepted, and you have passed the Examination (if applicable to you), you will have to pay any applicable administration fee to the Member Federation which is issuing the Authorisation and to make arrangements for the holding of professional liability insurance/bank guarantee.

At this point, you will be authorised to represent:

  • the Athletes of the Member Federation that has issued your Application
  • and any Athlete from any other Member Federation unless they have a Recognition Process (see below)

If you intend to represent athletes from other Federations (other than the one that issued your Application Form), you must first check with these Federations whether they have a Recognition Process or not. If they do have such a process, then you must apply according to their criteria and fulfil all their requirements in order to be authorised to represent their athletes. They will approve and countersign your "Registration of an Authorised Athletes' Representative" for the athletes concerned (Appendix 4).

For each one of the athletes you will finally be authorised to represent, you will be required to complete, and sign, the "Standard Athlete - Athletes' Representatives Agreement" (Appendix 3) and send it to your Athlete's Member Federation.


Revised timetable for implementation of the new system

The timetable for implementation of the new IAAF AR Regulations has been slightly revised since July as follows:

3 October - Deadline for persons applying for authorisation as an AR to submit Application Form to relevant Member Federation
10 October - Member Federations to notify the IAAF of the list of persons who have submitted Applications Forms.
31 October - Deadline for decision on Applications by Member Federations.
1 November - Deadline for Member Federations to submit questions to the IAAF related to the Member's regulations for inclusion in the Examination.
3 December - Examination to be held.
31 December - Deadline for the issue of Authorisations by Member Federations.
31 January - Deadline to submit your Registration Form to the IAAF.

EXAMINATION

This Note is to provide applicants with more information regarding the forthcoming Examination to be held on 3 December 2011.

Note assumes that you have had or will have your Application accepted by the Member Federation to which it has been submitted and that you are not on the list of persons who are exempt from taking the examination (Exempt List, see Related Documents below).

When and where will the Examination be held?

The Examination will be held at the following 3 locations and times:

  • St. Louis, USA at 9am (CDT)
  • Paris, France at 4pm (CET)
  • Tokyo, Japan at 9pm

The full addresses and contact details of the 3 locations, together with other logistical information, shall be communicated as soon as possible.

Please be advised that, at the time of the Examination, an applicant must confirm his/her identity by means of an acceptable form of ID (passport or national ID card). Writing materials for the Examination will be provided on site.

What subjects will the Examination cover?

The purpose of the Examination is to ensure that applicants have sufficient knowledge to perform the activity of an Athletes' Representative in the sport of Athletics.

The questions will consist of general knowledge questions about Athletics and the IAAF and more specific questions on the following IAAF Rules and Regulations:

  • - Athlete Representatives' Regulations 2011 (and Appendices 1-4)
  • - Outdoor Handbook 2011
    • DL Meetings Requirements and Regulations
    • IWC Meetings Requirements and Regulations
    • IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge Regulations
    • IAAF Combined Events Challenge Technical Rules - Extracts
    • IAAF Race Walking Challenge Technical Rules - Extracts
    • Codes of Conduct in International Competitions
  • - IAAF Competition Rules 2012-2013
    • Chapters 1 (Rules 1-9)
    • Chapter 2 (Rules 20-22)
    • Chapter 3 (Rules 32-35 and 40-41)
    • Chapter 5 (Rules 140-151 and 260-264)
  • - IAAF Advertising Regulations 2011 (Section 4.1)
  • - IAAF Anti-Doping Regulations 2011 (Sections 2.9-2.29)

All the documents listed above can be found below in the Related Documents section.

Please note that, if the Member Federation to which you have applied for Authorisation requires you to answer questions relating to its regulations, then you will have to complete these as well and you will have additional time allotted to you to do this. You will be advised individually beforehand if this is the case.

In what format will the Examination be set? 

The Examination will consist of a mixture of multiple choice questions and questions which require short written answers. You will not be required to write lengthy written answers in English.

There will be 50 questions to be answered in 2 hours. The pass mark is 75%.

A list of Sample Questions can be found in Related Documents below.

NOTE: it is not an open book examination and you will not be permitted to use any document or other source of information during the Examination.

Further Information

If you have any further questions about the Examination at this point, please do not hesitate to contact us at: athletes-representatives-info@iaaf.org