Rules

All athletes and coaches should be familiar with the rules, and always take the written rules with them to competitions, just in case a dispute does arise. Unfortunately, nobody is perfect, even officials, and not being able to prove your point when it really matters (say in a championship situation) can result in anger, frustration, and disappointment.

Please do not rely on the rules as reproduced on this website. The only rules that are official are those available from the IAAF and from the Little Athletics Association of your particular State, and from your School Sport Association.

There are some general rules that can differ quite significantly from the international IAAF rules, so it is important for the athlete and coach to be aware of the rules for the particular competition. The rules about the events themselves are quite uniform across the various athletics bodies.

The following is an overview over the most important rules for the shot put, discus and javelin.

Scott Martin

General rules [IAAF r.187]

You cannot tape fingers together or attach weights to the body, which could assist you when throwing. Tape can only be applied to cover open wounds.

To get a better grip, you can apply a suitable substance to the hand only (for instance 'chalk'), although shot putters can also apply a substance to the neck.

For injury protection, in the shot put you can wear a bandage at the wrist, and in the javelin you can wear a bandage at the elbow. Back belts are also permitted, but I believe regular reliance on a back belt is a danger in itself. Other protection may be worn (for example knee supports), but you must produce a medical certificate.

The throwing circles are 2.50m for the discus, and 2.135m for the shot put and hammer. The javelin run up must be at least 30m, and maximum 36.50m. If your run-up is more than 36.50m, your attempt will be invalid.

The landing sector must be level (maximum overall downward inclination 1:1000), and the angle of the sector from the circles is 34.92o, whereas for the javelin it is about 29o.

For a trial to be valid, the athlete must commence the attempt from a stationary position within the circle/runway. You are allowed to touch the inside of the iron band of the circle, and in the shot put the inside of the stop board.
For a trial to be valid, you must wait until the implement has landed, before you leave the circle.
For a trial to be valid, your first contact with the top of the iron band or the ground outside the circle must be completely behind the white lines outside the circle, and in the javelin completely behind the white lines drawn perpendicular to the parallel runway lines, drawn in extension of the arc.

A trial is a foul if once you commenced your attempt you touch the top of the iron ring/stop board/runway lines or the ground outside the circle/runway with any part of the body.

A trial is a foul if the implement, upon its first contact with the ground, touches the sector line or the ground outside the sector line. However, in the discus and hammer it is not a failure if the implement touches the cage, as long as no other rule is infringed.

An attempt may be interrupted, as along as no other rules are infringed. You may lay the implement down inside or outside the circle or runway, and may leave the circle/runway, but you must walk out out the circle as per the rules. There is no limit on the number of times you can do this, but remember you only have one minute to complete your trial.

Implements are to be carried back, not thrown back.

Throws are measured to the nearest centimetre (cm), rounded down.
The zero point of the tape is held to the mark made by the implement closest to the circle/arc.
The measuring tape is pulled in a straight line through the centre of the circle, and in the javelin the centre of the circle of which the arc is part (found exactly 8m from the arc in the middle of the runway).
The distance is read from the inside of the iron band of the circle, and from the inside of the arc line in the javelin.

Putting the shot [IAAF r.188]

The way the shot is released is very important. All athletes must learn this from the very beginning.
Scott Martin

The IAAF rule simply states: "The shot shall be put from the shoulder with one hand only." From the time you begin your movement, "the shot shall be in close proximity to the neck or the chin and the hand shall not be dropped below this position during the action of putting. The shot shall not be taken behind the line of the shoulders.
Unfortunately this rule is often a point of controversy at Little A and school competitions, and the rule is not well understood and interpreted, as is evidenced by the the Little A rule book. The explanatory remarks are well intentioned, but only confuse the issue further.
In my view the only relevant consideration should be whether the shot is put, that is pushed, as opposed to thrown. A throw involves not only removing the implement from the neck, but also taking the implement behind the shoulder axis, and at some stage the elbow is leading the hand. Whilst I doubt that throwing the shot in this fashion leads to better distances than with a well-executed put, the weight of the shot means that elbow, wrist, and shoulder injuries would no doubt occur sooner rather than later.
How far away from the neck the shot is pushed out is a matter of technique. A well executed put will be from close proximity to the neck anyway. Taking the shot off the neck prematurely will often be accompanied by a drop of the elbow, which leads to a quite inefficient release, so there is no advantage gained.
Also, young people should be encouraged to do the shot put, and not discouraged by over-zealous officiating. Officials are not coaches when they are officiating. They should use the principle "give the athlete the benefit of the doubt" wherever possible.
At the same time, coaches should teach their athletes a technically correct and efficient release action as soon as possible.

Throwing the discus [IAAF r.189]

There are no rule restrictions on how you release the discus.

Throwing the javelin [IAAF r.193]

You have to hold the javelin at the grip.

Scott Martin It has to be thrown over the shoulder, so you cannot sling it like a discus or hurl it.

You cannot turn your back to the throwing arc until you have thrown the javelin, which means you can't do any kind of turning movement.

To make a valid throw, "the tip of the metal head has to strike the ground before any other part of the javelin."

Throwing implements

Unfortunately there are some inconsistencies in the implement weights used in Australian athletics for some of the younger age groups. You can download here my reference chart for throwing implements as they are used in New South Wales. However, whilst I took great care to ensure the figures are correct this guide is not official. Especially in a school environment you should check directly with your School Sports Association.

General competition rules [IAAF r.144]

Assistance to athletes is not permitted, and you are not permitted to have in your possession "video or cassette recorders, radios, CD, radio transmitters, mobile phones or similar devices in the arena."
However, athletes and coaches are allowed to communicate with each other, as long as it doesn't take place in the competition area. To facilitate this, and to avoid other competitors being disturbed, the organiser should designate an area outside the competition area where such communication can take place.

Protests and Appeals [IAAF r.146]

If you think your throw was unjustifiedly red-flagged, you or your coach or parent should immediately make an oral protest to the referee of the event, who has the discretion to "order the attempt to be measured and the result recorded to preserve the rights of all concerned."

You have to lodge an official protest within 30 minutes after the result of the competition was officially announced.

The next hurdle is of course to prove that you were right. You can use any video evidence for that purpose.

The referee may make a decision. If you are not happy with the result, you can appeal to the jury. But the referee can ask the jury directly to make a decision.

And now for a bit of...

myth debunking

There is no rule that says that you have to enter the circle "from the back," as is often believed in Little A and school circles.

It is not a foul if your first foot contact is in accordance with the rules, but then you step on the line. Only the first foot contact is relevant.

You do not have to put down the implement inside or outside the circle if you interrupt your throw. You "may" do so.

There is also no rule that says you can't hover your foot or any other body part outside the circle. Of course you can. What you cannot do is touch the ground outside the circle.