Andy Devaney
World Athletics shoe rules have been tightened with Tokyo on the horizon, and the timing is no accident. After a year of chaos, cancellations and athletes training in limbo, the sport’s governing body has decided this is the moment to stop the footwear arms race turning elite athletics into a lab demo with bib numbers.
The message is simple: innovation is welcome, but the start line is not a tech expo. World Athletics has signed off amendments aimed at keeping competition recognisable—and, crucially, fair—while athletes prepare (finally) for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
What’s changing underfoot
After months of back-and-forth with manufacturers and its own Working Group on Athletic Shoes, the World Athletics Council has approved updates that cover two big pressure points: what shoes are allowed, and who can actually get them.
First, the compliance side. Previously approved shoes remain approved, but new models still need to be submitted for independent examination. No guessing, no “trust us,” no last-minute surprise releases that have everyone squinting at soles with a ruler.
Second—and this is the part that reads like a fairness clause written in permanent marker—any shoe cleared for competition must be made available to unsponsored elite athletes via a new distribution system: the Athletic Shoe Availability Scheme. Qualified athletes get access at no cost; unqualified athletes in World Athletics Series or Olympic competition must be able to receive the shoes either free or available to purchase. Manufacturers must also disclose availability for other unsponsored athletes who need compliant footwear ahead of competition.
The aim is blunt and overdue: no athlete should arrive at a start line disadvantaged simply because they didn’t sign the right contract.
The new sole-height limits
Road racing stays capped at 40mm. That headline number does not change. The more detailed tightening comes in spiked shoes and event-specific limits, now clearly defined:
- Field events (except triple jump): 20mm
- Triple jump: 25mm
- Track up to—but not including—800m: 20mm
- Track from 800m upward (including steeplechase): 25mm
- Cross country: 25mm
- Road racing and race walking: unchanged at 40mm
- Events under rule 57: any thickness
In plain terms: jumpers, sprinters, milers and marathoners each have their own boundary lines. Less grey area. Fewer arguments. And fewer moments where an athlete feels like they’re racing the shoe as much as the person wearing it.
A year’s grace, and a line in the sand
World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon was direct about the advantage of an unwanted gift: time. The Olympic postponement created a rare administrative gap to set transitional rules—rules meant to stabilise the sport rather than keep moving the goalposts.
“We have a better understanding now of what technology is already in the market and where we need to draw the line to maintain the status quo until after the Tokyo Olympic Games,” Ridgeon said.
“In developing these rules we have been mindful of the principles of fair play and universality, maintaining the health and safety of athletes, reflecting the existing shoe market in these challenging economic times, and achieving a broad consensus with the shoe manufacturers who are major investors in our sport.
“These transitional rules give us more time to develop a set of working rules for the long term, which will be introduced after the Olympic Games next year, with the aim of achieving the right balance between innovation, competitive advantage and universality.”
That “transitional” label matters. The Working Group on Athletic Shoes—now strengthened with input from the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI)—met on 22 July and has a serious to-do list: examine emerging technology, define what counts as legal footwear, and build a certification system tough enough to keep pace with modern design.
In other words: World Athletics shoe rules are being treated like a living rulebook, but the next few months are about consistency, not chaos.
Olympic qualification reopens for endurance athletes
While the shoe rules will grab the spotlight, the endurance athletes quietly got news that could shape Olympic start lists: World Athletics lifted the suspension of Olympic qualification for road events from 1 September to 30 November 2020.
That matters because marathoners and race walkers can’t just roll up every weekend and produce a peak performance on demand. Their bodies—and their training cycles—are built around a small number of truly elite efforts each year. With the 2021 calendar still uncertain, narrowing the qualifying window any further would have been brutal.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe laid it out without dressing it up.
“Most of the major marathons have already been cancelled or postponed for the remainder of this year and the evolution of the pandemic makes it difficult to predict if those scheduled for the first half of next year will be able to go ahead,” Coe said.
“That situation, combined with the fact that endurance athletes in the marathon and race walks can only produce a very limited number of high-quality performances a year, would really narrow their qualifying window without this adjustment.
“We have also been assured by the Athletics Integrity Unit that the anti-doping system is capable of protecting the integrity of road races during this period and will put in place strict testing criteria for all athletes.”
There’s a clear condition attached: only races on certified courses, with in-competition testing, will count. No shortcuts. No “close enough.”
The races that could decide everything
With the window reopened, a handful of events suddenly carry extra weight. The Virgin Money London Marathon, scheduled for 4 October, has pledged to help international athletes navigate travel complications so they can reach the start line and chase Olympic qualification. The Abu Dhabi Marathon may do the same, and at least two major race-walking events are expected to take place between September and November.
Even then, travel restrictions will still clip the wings of some athletes. World Athletics’ Athletes’ Commission has acknowledged that reality, while backing the decision as the best available lifeline for the majority.
And there’s a final piece of context the sport won’t forget in a hurry: Doha 2019 didn’t exactly offer forgiving conditions for road athletes chasing standards, while in-stadium events enjoyed a more controlled environment. This adjustment is, at least in intent, a step toward levelling the runway before 2021.
World Athletics says it will work with federations and meet organisers to ensure sufficient pre-Olympic opportunities for all disciplines from 1 December onward—because at elite level, timing isn’t a detail. It’s the whole job.
FAQs
Are the road shoe limits changing?
No. Road racing and race walking remain capped at 40mm.
Do already-approved shoes become illegal?
No. Previously approved shoes stay approved; new models must still be submitted for independent examination.
What is the Athletic Shoe Availability Scheme?
A distribution requirement so unsponsored athletes can access compliant shoes—preventing sponsorship status from becoming a competitive advantage.
Are spiked shoes affected?
Yes. The new event-specific sole-height limits tighten what’s allowed in spikes across track and field.
What’s the big picture behind the World Athletics shoe rules?
Stability before Tokyo, then longer-term rules after the Games that balance innovation, fairness, and universality.
