What equipment is checked before a para athletics event?
Officials' detail · Field events and discipline · 2 of 2Racing chairs, running frames, throwing frames, prostheses, helmets, tethers and eye masks are checked in the call room. Faulty or missing equipment brings a yellow card. If it is put right before the exit, the athlete competes but the card stands; otherwise they are DNS. A second fault at the meeting brings a red card and exclusion.
How it works
- Inspected: chairs, frames, prostheses, helmets, tethers, eye masks.
- Fault: a yellow card.
- Fixed in time: compete; the card stands.
- Not fixed: DNS.
- No delays: events do not wait for repairs.
- Second fault: second yellow, then red; excluded from the meeting.
- Clothing and shoes: non-compliance means disqualification.
- Borrowing: a tether can be borrowed from the organisers.
The glossary has the non-compliant equipment, the yellow and red cards, the racing wheelchair, the tether, the eye patches and opaque glasses and the throwing frame.
Tricky cases
A tether is too long. Can the athlete still race?
Yes, if they get a compliant one before leaving the call room, with a yellow card.
Are shoes checked too?
Yes. Sole thickness is limited, and a referee can take a shoe for inspection.
Is a DNS for equipment a ban from later events?
No, not on its own.
Can equipment be checked again after the race?
Yes, and a later fault can still disqualify.
Why the rule exists
Checking equipment before the event avoids disqualifying athletes afterwards. The card system punishes repeated carelessness without ending a meeting for one mistake.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First fault | Yellow card | R 6.16.1 |
| Second fault | Red card, excluded | R 6.16.4 |
| Shoes and bibs | Disqualification | R 6.9 |
From the rule book
World Para Athletics, Rules and Regulations, September 2026, Rules 6.9, 6.10, 6.16, 14.4 and 35.2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the World Para Athletics Rules and Regulations, September 2026.