New rules allowed for track false starts

Published 3:46 pm Tuesday, July 11, 2023

INDIANAPOLIS — Fans and track athletes alike know well the sound — the double crack of the start pistol. Now, the National Federation of State High School Associations has issued new definitions of exactly what is a “false start.”

Under the previous rule, student athletes were required to remain motionless after the command of “set” was announced.

The clarification states a false start will be called only “if a runner leaves their mark with a hand or foot after the ‘set’ command but before the starting device is fired” and adds that a violation takes place “if a runner leaves their mark with a forward motion without the starting device being fired.”

“The rules committee felt that these changes offer a clearer definition of a false start and will help add consistency in how false starts are officiated,” said Julie Cochran, federation director of sports and liaison to its Track and Field Rules Committee.

In common language, a twitch or minor movement while in the start blocks will no longer be deemed a false start. Starters will have the option of standing everyone up and restarting the process.

The second significant change comes in the field events as athletes throwing the discus, shot put and discus will now be permitted to tape their fingers as long as the fingers are not taped together.

A further change will allow the Oregon Schools Activities Association, the state’s high school governing body for track and field, to allow student athletes to compete in six events at a track and field meet, up from the current four-event cap. The OSAA has yet to issue a ruling on this change and schools hosting meets will still be able to limit student athletes to a certain number of events.