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Athletics: how it is set up and scored.

Athletics covers track, jumps and throws, contested individually on a 400 metre track with eight lanes and the field areas inside it. Track and field events progress through rounds of heats, semi-finals and a final where entries require it. A result is recorded as a time for track events and as a distance or height for field events, with placings decided from those marks. World Athletics rules apply, administered in Britain by UK Athletics.

How athletics is set up.

Size
176.91 m by 92.52 m
Match
3 rounds
Squad
1 on the field per side, no rolling substitutes
Scoring
A score is a win; the result is in wins.
Rules
World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules (as amended 20 March 2026)
The athletics competition area drawn to scale

How a result is recorded.

There is no lineup to pick in athletics. A coach records these for each athlete at every competition.

Scoring and results

  • Event Win
  • Podium
  • Final Reached
  • Qualified

Playmaking and performance

  • Personal Best
  • Season Best
  • Club Record
  • Valid Attempt

Turnovers and non-finishes

  • Failed Attempt
  • Did Not Start
  • Did Not Finish

Discipline

  • False Start
  • Yellow Card (Warning)
  • Disqualified

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