PaceSetter Book

Officiating 10

10.2 Duties of Officials

The following sub-sections will provide useful tips to allow inexperienced helpers to assist qualified officials but it should be emphasised that any questions that arise should be addressed to qualified officials at the competition. 10.2.1 Track Judge Track judges should be positioned on the extension of the finishing line set slightly back from the inside lane of the track. Finishing order should be recorded in a vertical column to avoid confusion between the numbers worn by the young athletes. Finishing position is based upon when the torso crosses the vertical plane of the finishing line. If different results are produced by an equal number of judges, then the decision will go to the Chief Track Judge. WEB COPY ©EVEQUE

200m Heat 1

200m Heat 2

200m Heat 3

16 4 19 27 3 33

31 22 7 11

12 13

2 1

5 6

25 26

A good tip when judging is to write down the anticipated finishing order before the athletes reach the finishing line. The judge can then concentrate his or her attention on the actual finish and make adjustments to the order as necessary. In the example shown above, in Heat two athlete number 11 was judged to reach the finish line before athlete number 7. In Heat three athlete number 26 was judged to have overtaken both athletes number 25 and number 1, who have also reversed in finishing order and therefore the corrected results would be: WEB COPY ©EVEQUE 200m Heat 1 200m Heat 2 200m Heat 3 16 4 31 22 11 12 13 2

19 27 3 33

7 5 6

26 25 1

176