Competition innovations and technical regulations announced ahead of Ultimate Championship

World Athletics Ultimate Championship (© World Athletics)

World Athletics has announced a series of competition innovations and technical regulations ahead of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, taking place on 11-13 September in Budapest, Hungary.

Athletes competing in the men’s and women’s 200m will select their preferred semifinal heat and lane in world rankings seed order live as part of The Day Before. This concept is being trialled for the 200m at the Ultimate as part of a bold effort to transform the standard, anonymous lane allocation process into an athlete-centred product that generates analysis and conversation before the competition has even started.

In keeping with the foundational concept of the Ultimate Championship – a competition designed to determine who is the best of the best – there will be no first-place ties in the vertical jumps. A tie for first place will be resolved by a jump-off.

Round progression in field events

Except for the vertical jumps, round progression in the field events will use the format model (8:8:6:4) over four rounds.

• In rounds one and two, all eight athletes will be entitled to an attempt.

• In round three, the six highest ranked athletes in the standings after the second round will be entitled to an attempt.

• In the fourth and final round, the four highest-ranked athletes in the standings after the third round will be entitled to an attempt.

• In vertical jumps, the attempt order shall be seed order starting with the lowest seeded athlete and finishing with the highest seeded athlete.

• In horizontal jumps and throws, the attempt order will be:

- In round one, in seed order with highest seeded athlete competing first and lowest seeded athlete competing last.

- In each subsequent round, in the order of the standings after the preceding round, with highest ranked athlete competing first and lowest ranked athlete competing last.

- Athlete recovery times as outlined in the technical regulations will be respected.

There will be no jury of appeal appointed to the Ultimate Championship. Athletes will still be able to make an immediate oral protest directly on the field of play to the referee, and athletes or representatives on their behalf can submit written protests to the technical information centre (TIC) within 30 minutes of official results being announced for the respective event.

These updates are in addition to the previously announced innovations across the entirety of the Ultimate, including:

• New elements including fan feedback, an updated broadcast graphics package featuring augmented reality, athlete headshots, win probabilities, projected finishing positions, refreshed look and feel, and race clock shifting to the centre of the screen to better serve a vertical screen experience.

• Show script developed around the streamlined competition timetable to ensure all moments of magic are captured and no storylines are missed.

• Energetic sound identity built around the Ultimate Anthem, developed by world record-holder and Ultimate Star Mondo Duplantis.

• Live acts during session warm-up.

• Centre-court style interviews shown both in-stadium and on-broadcast.

• Athlete introductions and other event presentation elements developed in cooperation with world and Olympic champion and Ultimate Star Noah Lyles.

• Field of play will feature a dramatic black infield with only the competition areas in use during the session showcased in sharp contrast, drawing fans towards the ongoing action. Conceptual renderings of the field of play are available for editorial use here.

• Timetable designed with the organising principle of one field event being contested at a time, whenever possible.

- Five distinct moments will form The Day Before: the press conference, the red carpet, the lane draft, the media day, and the Kids’ Athletics Ultimate Challenge. All will occur on 10 September between 2:00pm and 5:00pm, the day prior to competition, with all competing athletes and accredited media invited to attend. Ultimate Stars Letsile Tebogo and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden will serve as team captains for the Kids’ Athletics Ultimate Challenge.

• Reserved rights carved out for participating athletes to publish race footage on digital channels.

• Athlete access to World Athletics-commissioned photography.

• Olympic champion and Ultimate Star Tara Davis-Woodhall will serve as lead content creator for the Ultimate, adding another layer of athlete-led storytelling.

• Athlete-only after-party will be Club Ultimate by Noah Lyles.

• Special access and collective seating for athlete friends and family.

• Reimagining of awards means no medals; all athletes will receive a participation token. Ultimate Champions will each earn a trophy designed to connect with their participation token to form a complete piece.

• Brand-new mobile app launching at the Ultimate, bringing together live results, athlete stories, video content, interactive games, predictions and tailored notifications.