Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Athletics – Men’s 400m Hurdles – Final – Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan – August 3, 2021.
REUTERS/Andrew BoyersDec 23 (Reuters) – The sole thicknesses for all athletic shoes in track and field events will be simplified to a stack height of 20mm from Nov. 1, 2024, World Athletics said on Thursday.
Current regulations allow for shoes to have maximum thickness between 20-25mm depending on the event while it can go up to 40mm for road races.
World Athletics said the timeline was agreed to give shoe manufacturers enough notice after they had made “significant investment” in shoes with a sole thickness between 20-25mm.
Shoe technology has been in the spotlight since records started to tumble, with the governing body trying to draw a line between innovation and giving athletes an unfair advantage.