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Selection Procedures

2016 IAAF World Indoor Athlete Selection Procedures – Revised with Wild Card Bye
 
NOTE:  Athletes who expect to qualify and be selected for the 2016 IAAF World Championships Team are encouraged to come to the USATF Indoor Championships prepared to stay until after the World Championships are over.  For that purpose, a training camp will be held during the week between the USATF Indoor Championships and the IAAF World Championships.  USATF will cover all costs for the training camp.
 
Selection Event - 2016 USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships – March 11-12, Portland, OR
 
Philosophy - These selection procedures are designed to enable athletes to select themselves for individual events based on place finish at the USATF selection event, and having met the World Indoor qualifying standard, in order that USATF can assemble a team that can achieve the best possible results at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Entry Rules

  • USA Track & Field may enter up to three athletes in each event for the 2016 IAAF World Championships, provided all have achieved the corresponding entry standard, but only two will travel with the team and be permitted to compete (except for the Combined Events and the Relays – see below).  Please note additional athletes may be entered and travel with the team per the selection criteria listed below.

  • In the High Jump and Pole Vault, events shall be held as straight Finals with twelve athletes starting in each event. All athletes who achieve the Entry Standard within the qualifying window will be eligible for entry. If the target number of twelve athletes is not reached, the next best ranked athletes, per the IAAF ranking system, in the qualification period will become eligible for entry by invitation only.  If invitations are necessary the IAAF will inform the Member Federations concerned accordingly, immediately after the closing date of the Final Entries.

  • In the Long Jump, Triple Jump and Shot Put, events shall be held as straight Finals with sixteen athletes starting in each event. All athletes who achieve the Entry Standard within the qualifying window will be eligible for entry. If the target number of sixteen athletes is not reached, the next best ranked athletes, per the IAAF ranking system, in the qualification period will become eligible for entry by invitation only. If invitations are necessary the IAAF will inform the Member Federations concerned accordingly, immediately after the closing date of the Final Entries.

  • For the Combined Events, twelve athletes each will be invited by the IAAF in the Heptathlon and in the Pentathlon as follows:

    • the winner of the 2015 Combined Events Challenge in the decathlon & heptathlon.

    • the five best athletes from the IAAF 2015 Outdoor Lists in the decathlon & heptathlon (as of December 31, 2015), limited to a maximum of one per country

    • the five best athletes from the IAAF 2016 Indoor Lists in the heptathlon & pentathlon (as of February 29, 2016)

    • one athlete which may be invited at the discretion of the IAAF

    • In total no more than two male and two female athletes from any one Member Federation will be invited. Upon refusals or cancellations, the invitations shall be extended to the next ranked athletes in the same lists respecting the above conditions.

  • For the 4x400 meter Relays, each Member Federation will be able to enter up to 6 athletes for each team.

  • Youth athletes (any athlete aged 16 or 17 years on 31 December 2016, i.e. born in 1999 or 2000) CANNOT be entered in the Men’s Shot Put.

  • Athletes younger than 16 years (on 31 December 2016, i.e. born in 2001 or later), CANNOT be entered in any event.

Selection Criteria - The following criteria will be used by USATF in the selection of athletes for the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics (“World Championships”) in individual events:

  1. The athlete's rank order of place finish in that event at the 2016 USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships.

  2. Achievement of the applicable IAAF World Indoor entry standard between January 1, 2015 and March 7, 2016 with the exception of the Combined Events and relays.  Please take special note that U.S. athletes must have achieved the IAAF entry standard no later than March 7, 2016, which is prior to the 2016 USATF Indoor Championships which is the selection event.  Marks achieved at the 2016 USATF Indoor Championships will not be accepted as a qualifying mark for the World Indoor Championships. 

  1. Wild Card – The IAAF has a new IAAF World Indoor Tour in 2016.  A 2016 IAAF World Indoor Tour overall winner, who competes at the USATF Indoor Championships, will receive an automatic wild card bye into the IAAF World Indoor Championships in the event that he/she is the overall winner, whether or not he/she has achieved the corresponding World Indoor entry standard.  The winners of the following eleven (11) events on the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Tour will be granted a waiver provided they compete at the USATF Indoor Championships:  Men’s 60m, 800m, 3000m, pole vault, triple jump, shot put and Women’s 400m, 1500m, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump.  These are the only events eligible for the wild card bye.  At the 2016 USATF Indoor Championships, these athletes are not required to compete in the same event in which they are the World Indoor Tour overall winner in order to receive the wild-card bye but they do have to compete at the 2016 USATF Indoor Championships.  In the event that a US athlete is the overall winner in a World Indoor Tour event, USATF will be allowed to enter up to 4 athletes and compete 3 in that event. Note: the IAAF does not give byes to reigning World Indoor Champions.

  2. Relays - Up to six (6) athletes may be entered as members of the relay pool. The two athletes entered in the respective 400 meter events, as well as the alternate in that event, must be included in the pool.  Therefore, an additional three (3) athletes from competitors at the 2016 USATF Indoor Championships will be selected by the coaching staffs to fill the relay pool.  An athlete must compete in the Championships in order to be eligible for the relay pool, except in emergency situations where a waiver based on medical or exceptional circumstances may be given by USATF, in its discretion.

Other requirements

  1. Athletes must be USA Track & Field (USATF) members in good standing at the time of the selection through the end of the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

  2. Nominated athletes are required to sign a USATF Statement of Conditions for participation.

  3. Athletes must possess a valid passport that does not expire within six months of the event (and must present passport at team processing when applicable).

Removal of Athletes
An athlete who is to be nominated to the team by USATF may be removed as a nominee for any of the following reasons, as determined by USATF:

  1. Voluntary withdrawal.  Athlete must submit a written letter to USATF’s Director of International Teams.

  2. Injury or illness as certified by a physician (or medical staff) approved by USATF.  If an athlete refuses verification of his/her illness or injury by a physician (or medical staff) approved by USATF, his/her injury will be assumed to be disabling and he/she may be removed.

  3. Violation of USATF’s Statement of Conditions

  4. Involuntary Withdrawal. An Athlete who is named to the team by virtue of an error or oversight (by USATF) may be removed from the team at any time. 

 


2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships



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