What happens if a para athlete misses the call room?
A · Advanced · Classes and entry · 2 of 3Athletes must be in the call room on time; without a good reason, such as official transport failing or illness with a medical certificate, they are listed as DNS. At the Paralympic Games and WPA Championships, missing the call room or failing to start after confirming excludes them from later events. Athletes must be at least 14.
How it works
- Call room: athletes must be inside on time.
- Good reasons: transport failure, schedule error, illness with a certificate.
- Late without reason: DNS, and at major events excluded from later events.
- Failing to start: after final confirmation, excluded at major events.
- Bona fide effort: athletes and guides must try honestly.
- Minimum age: 14 by 31 December of the year.
- Proof of age: a passport or other accepted document.
- Class change: re-entry may be allowed by the Technical Delegate.
The glossary has the eligibility (para athletics), the recognised competitions, the non-compliant equipment, the guide-runner, the yellow and red cards and the para athletics.
Tricky cases
A reserve on the start list does not come to the call room. Penalty?
No.
An athlete is ill for one event but fit the next day. Can they compete?
Yes, with a medical certificate from the Medical Delegate.
A guide-runner stops trying. Who is penalised?
The athlete, as the pair must make a bona fide effort.
Does a DNS for being late cancel earlier results?
No. Earlier results at the meeting stand.
Why the rule exists
The call room is where equipment, eye covers and tethers are checked, so athletes must arrive on time. Exclusion for not trying stops athletes saving themselves for later events.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Paralympic Games and WPA Championships | Exclusion from later events | R 5.4, 5.5.6 |
| Other competitions | DNS for that event only | R 5.5.5 |
| Open events | Minimum age 14 | R 4.1 |
From the rule book
World Para Athletics, Rules and Regulations, September 2026, Rules 4.1, 5.3 to 5.5 and Regulation 4.2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the World Para Athletics Rules and Regulations, September 2026.