A reminder to coaches that high school rules on starts of races differ from IAAF, AC and AO rules. These latter jurisdictions will not recognize results from competitions using different start rules unless there is documentation verifying that no false start occurred.
To ensure that your athletes get credit for their performances please read and use the report forms below.
In 2015 Ontario High School rules will allow one false start per field without penalty to any runner. This rule contravenes the IAAF rule which allows no false starts. The High School one false start rule is considered advantageous to the runners and therefore disqualifies performances achieved in school meets for purposes of IAAF/AC/AO rankings, seed performances, records and standards.
The IAAF (and consequently AC and AO) will, however, accept performances from races in which there have been no documented false starts by the athlete(s) concerned in either qualifying heat or final. If a qualifying race has not been observed, recorded and submitted for false starts no times achieved by any runners who have advanced from that heat to the final can be recognized by IAAF/AC/AO. This is so even if the concerned athlete did not false start in the final.
Reporting forms have been designed to facilitate reporting of false starts in high school competitions. There are two forms – one for providing information on a single athlete and one for reporting on an entire field in a race.