While USA Track & Field is the governing body and issuer of rules for the sport of running. Local event directors are encouraged to adopt these RRCA recommended policies to further support and promote fair competition for athletes, especially those competing for prize money and age group awards. 

Members are encourage to implement the following policies for their events:

To be eligible for elite entry or prize purse at (INCLUDE NAME OF EVENT), an athlete must:

  • Not be currently serving a suspension issued by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for use of a banned substance
  • Not have ever served a ban issued by USADA or WADA for the use of performance enhancing drugs
  • Not be represented by coaches and/or agents who have had 2 or more athletes receiving such suspensions in the previous 4 years
  • Not be represented by coaches and/or agents who served a ban for use of performance enhancing drugs during their own athletic career*
  • Provide proper documentation proving they are eligible for prize money (form W-9, W-8ECI or W-8BEN)
  • Sign a statement attesting they are in compliance with USADA and WADA anti-doping regulations related to banned substance use and if issued a doping suspension or ban in the future, they will not be allowed back at the event for any reason
  • Consent to random drug testing according to the standards and procedures of USATF, USADA and WADA

Any athlete that believes they have been barred from the event or the opportunity to earn prize money at the event because of mistaken identity due to near or exact name of a person currently suspended, banned or previously banned, must submit documentation certified by a notary in advance to the race director or elite athlete coordinator of the event proving that they are not the same person identified as serving a suspension, ban or previous ban. (event organizers will need to clearly outline the exact person to submit documentation to for this recourse section of the policy)

*Athletes have a duty to ensure they are represented by reputable coaches and agents and have a duty to consult the WADA list of athletes that are or have served a doping ban before signing with a coach or agent.

I, (ELITE ATHLETE’S FULL NAME), as an elite athlete entrant eligible to earn prize money at the (RACE NAME) on (DATE OF RACE), agree and attest that the following statements are true:

  • I have not taken a performance enhancing substance on the WADA banned substance list
  • As an athlete competing in the United States, I am in compliance with anti-doping policies set forth by USA Track & Field and USADA
  • I am not currently serving a suspension or ban issued by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for use of a banned substance
  • I have never served a ban issued by USADA or WADA for the use of performance enhancing drugs
  • I am not represented by a coach or agent who has had 2 or more athletes receiving such suspensions in the previous 4 years
  • As an athlete, I understand I have a duty to ensure I am represented by a reputable coach and agent, as such, I am not represented by a coach or agent who has served a ban for use of performance enhancing drugs during their own athletic career.
  • I have provided proper documentation proving ​I am eligible for prize money (form W-9, W-8ECI or W-8BEN)
  • If I am found in violation of this policy before, during or after this event, I understand I will not be eligible to compete for prize money or awards, and I may be banned from future participation in this event.

Signed:  (ATHLETE’S FULL NAME)  Date: (DATE SIGNED)

Witness:  (NAME OF PERSON APPOINTED BY THE RACE TO WITNESS ​ATHLETE SIGNATURES – IDEALLY ELITE ATHLETE COORDINATOR)

Signature of Witness:  
Date Witnessed:

The RRCA has partnered with the Guide to Non-Binary Inclusion in Running. 

The Guide was created based on multiple conversations with folx inside and outside of the running industry. It is meant to assist race directors as they embark, or continue, on their journey toward creating a more inclusive event. It is also meant to embolden non-binary runners (and allies) to have more conversations with race directors regarding non-binary inclusion.

icon link arrow left purpleThe RRCA recommends that race directors allow for options that are inclusive including male, female, non-binary, and/or choose not to disclose when asking race participants to identify their gender.  Most registration providers now offer more gender options.  If your registration company doesn’t offer expanded gender options, it is time to find a new registration company.

Race directors should be clear in their information about their rules of competition.  If your event(s) has a non-binary category, be clear about how that competition will be scored and if awards will be provided.   Be sure to outline that participants that elect not to disclose their gender will not be included in the scoring for awards.

If a transgender athlete in compliance with the USATF rules of competition wins an award under the gender they have identified, that award/performance should be honored.

To assist race directors and elite athlete coordinators, Road Race Management has developed and maintains a database of runners (both foreign and domestic) that have or are currently serving a doping ban.  If race organizers provide prize money, they should consult this database to ensure their elite entrants are not currently suspended or serving or have served a doping ban.  Athletes found to be listed in the database should be barred from competing for prize money in their event. Race directors and elite athlete coordinators are encouraged to cross reference their elite athlete entrants with the World Athletics’s list of athletes serving or are have served a doping ban.

www.DopingSanctions.com

It is important to note that a race should never announce if they bar an athlete from competition, because the athlete cannot comply with the policy above.  If event organizers find an elite entrant in violation of this policy, they should simply contact the coach, agent or athlete to outline why the will not be allowed to compete in the event and be eligible for prize money or awards. 

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