What can get an athlete warned or disqualified?
A · Advanced · Conduct and kit · 4 of 5The referee warns with a yellow card and disqualifies with a red. Cards are given for unsporting conduct, banned help and drinks taken from the wrong place, and two yellows make a red. Cutting the course and obstructing another runner can bring disqualification on their own. Outside the stadium the referee should warn first wherever practicable.
How it works
- Conduct: athletes "shall participate in athletics competitions with bona fide effort and shall not engage in unsporting or improper conduct". One who does not may be warned or disqualified.
- Yellow card: a warning from the referee.
- Red card: exclusion from the event.
- Two yellows: a second yellow card in the same competition is followed at once by a red.
- Straight red: the referee may exclude without a warning where the circumstances justify it.
- Warning first on the road: for events outside the stadium the referee "shall, wherever practicable", give a warning before disqualifying.
- Obstruction: an athlete who jostles or obstructs another so as to impede their progress is liable to disqualification. That rule applies to road races as it does on the track.
- Cutting the course: leaving the marked course and shortening the distance means disqualification.
- Drinks: taking refreshment from outside the official stations brings a yellow card and then a red.
- Help: giving or receiving banned help brings a warning and then disqualification from the event.
- A technical disqualification: the performance in that event is lost. The athlete may still take part in other events.
- A conduct disqualification: the athlete is out of that event and of the rest of the competition.
- In the results: DQ is followed by the number of the rule. YC, YRC and RC mark a yellow card, a second yellow and a red.
Tricky cases
A runner elbows a rival out of the way at a drinks table. Can they be disqualified?
Yes. An athlete who jostles or obstructs another so as to impede their progress is liable to disqualification.
A runner is seen cutting a corner by an umpire but nobody warns them. Can they still be disqualified after the race?
Yes. Shortening the distance leads to disqualification once the referee is satisfied it happened. No warning is needed.
Does a red card always need a yellow card first?
No. The referee may exclude an athlete without a warning where the circumstances justify it.
An athlete is disqualified for conduct. Can they compete in another event at the same championships?
No. A conduct disqualification removes them from all further events in that competition.
Why the rule exists
A referee on a road course cannot be everywhere, and an athlete disqualified by mistake cannot be given the race back. Asking for a warning first where practicable gives athletes the chance to stop what they are doing. The power to disqualify without one is kept for clear cases.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Athletics rules | As above | TR 7; TR 17.1; TR 6.2 |
| Inside the stadium | No rule that a warning should come first | TR 7.1 (note ii) |
| On the course | Umpires may be made assistant referees so that warnings can be given along the route | TR 55 commentary |
| Serious offences | The competition director reports the case for possible further disciplinary action | TR 7.5 |
From the rule book
World Athletics, Competition and Technical Rules, 2026 Edition, Technical Rules 6.2, 7 and 17.1, 55.8.8 and 55.10 with the commentary printed under rule 55, and Competition Rule 25.5. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules 2026 (PDF).