Records are kept for all events contested at the Olympic Games and some others. Unofficial records for some other events are kept by track and field statisticians. The only non-metric distance for which official records are kept is the mile run.
The criteria which must be satisfied for ratification
also apply to national or other restricted records and also to performances
submitted as qualifying marks for eligibility to compete in major events such
as the Olympic Games.
The criteria include:
- The dimensions of the track and equipment used must conform to standards. In road events, the course must be accurately measured, by a certified measurer.
- Except in road events (road running and race walking), the performance must be set in a single-sex race.
- All team members in a relay race must be of the same nationality.
- Pacemakers are allowed, provided they have not been lapped; lapped athletes must give way.
- Drug testing immediately after the performance is now required for ratification of a record. Existing records which predate this requirement are still extant. Athletes who pass the immediate test but are later found to have been on drugs have their performances invalidated.
- In running events up to 200 m in distance and in horizontal jump events, wind assistance is permitted only up to 2.0 m/s. In decathlon or heptathlon, average wind assistance of less than 2.0 m/s is required across all applicable disciplines; and maximum of 4.0 m/s in any one event.
- In running events up to 800 m in distance, photo finish fully automatic timing is required.
- There is no restriction on altitude; since the thinner atmosphere of higher altitude provides less air resistance, locations such as Mexico City and Sestriere have previously been the sites of records in the sprint and jump events. See effects of high altitude on humans. Records set at high altitude venues are often marked with an "A" though that does not disqualify it as a record. Under those circumstances, a "sea level" best is also tracked by statisticians. Long-distance races run at altitude, with less oxygen available to the athlete, have shown to be to the athlete's disadvantage. Remarkable distance races run at altitude are also noted with the A. Currently the only standing record set at altitude is Sergey Bubka's pole vault. Based on the circumstances of his records (discussed below), the altitude was not a major factor.
- In road events, the course is not required to be a circuit, but the overall decrease in elevation between the start and finish shall not exceed 1:1000, i.e. 1 m/km.
- In road events, the start and finish points of a course, measured along a theoretical straight line between them, shall not be further apart than 50% of the race distance.
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Witnessing
a world record brings great pleasure for athletics fans; athletes' personal sponsors and the
promoters of major meetings such as the IAAF Golden League have
offered bonuses to athletes breaking a record.
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Some
middle-distance runners have specialized in acting as pacemakers in longer
races, receiving a fee without even finishing the race, and possibly a bonus if
a record results. This is a useful occupation for athletes who are capable of
running accurately to a specified pace, but not capable of the very fastest times
to become champions in their own right.
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In
the pole vault record bonuses create an incentive for an athlete
capable of smashing a record to instead break it by the minimum amount (one centimetre), multiple times, at multiple meetings, in order to
accumulate multiple bonuses. This has been done by Sergey Bubka in the men's pole vault, and Yelena Isinbayeva in the women's pole vault. Some commentators
have complained that neither athlete ever posted as high a mark as they were
capable of. In other disciplines this issue does not arise, since it is
practically impossible to deliberately break a record by a small margin.
- Prior to 2000, separate records were recorded for outdoor and indoor events. In 2000, IAAF rule 260.18a (formerly 260.6a) was amended, so now it states that "world records" (as opposed to "indoor world records") can be set in a facility "with or without roof". This rule was not applied retroactively, so for example, Sergey Bubka's pole vault World Indoor record of 6.15 m is not considered to be a World record, because it was set before 2000, although it would be considered a World record had it been set after 2000. It is the only Indoor record which is greater than the World record (6.15 Indoor world record by Sergey Bubka, versus 6.14 World record by Sergey Bubka). All current World records were set outdoors.
