The World Athletics on Thursday stated that starting November 1, 2024, all athletic shoes in the track and field Olympics will have the same sole thickness. Here’s all about it.
What is the new uniform sole thickness regulation?
According to the new regulations, athletic shoes used for track and fields are to have a standard stack height of 20mm. The current regulations have a range of 20 to 25mm thickness, depending on the event. However, for road races, the thickness of the sole can go up to 40mm. The World Athletics stated that the timeline will give manufacturers ample time as they have made a ‘significant investment’ in shoes with soles between 20-25mm thickness.
“There has been an enormous amount of background work and meetings held both internally and externally on our shoe rules since the inception of the Working Group on Athletic Shoes in June 2020,” stated Job Ridgeon. Ridgeon is the Chief Executive of World Athletics. “There is still more to do but I would like to thank the Working Group, the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry, and the shoe companies for their openness and collaboration in finding solutions,” he added.
Shoe technology: A boon or an unfair advantage?
The spotlight on shoe technology began since records began tumbling. Government bodies and regulators are now doing their best to draw a line between unfair advantage and innovation. World Athletics also added that athletic shoes must not contain added “sensing or intelligent” technology both now and in the future. However, this rule will be set in place from January 1, 2022.
Recently, Karsten Warholm, the Norwegian 400m hurdler shaved 0.76 of a second from his record at the 2020 Olympics. The athlete warned that the shoe technology is hurting the athlete’s credibility. After all, a tiny fraction of a second is a large margin in a single lap race.
