Competition Procedures

Timetable

The competition timetable is available on the appendices page.

Warming-up before event

Warming up will take place in a defined area (see Appendix 3). At the end of the warming up the athletes shall prepare for the race and will put the removed clothing in dedicated baskets identified with the respective country code name (one for each team) at the Teams´ Tent. The baskets will then be transported by the LOC staff from the Teams´ Tent to the Chip/Kit Collection Area (see Appendix 3).

Competition Bibs

General

Each athlete will receive 2 bib numbers: 1 to be put on the back of the singlet and the other one, with the name of the club, to be pinned in front of the singlet. Both bibs numbers will be delivered after the Technical Meeting.

The competition bibs may not be cut, bent, covered or ruined in any way.

Competition Clothing

All competitors must wear registered vest of the same design and colour of the club they are representing.

Participating clubs in the ECCC Cross Country or corresponding Member Federations must provide European Athletics/Local Organising Committee with a full set of photographs of their club team uniforms (preferably in an electronic version) by 27 January 2022 and will have the obligation to wear them throughout the competition:


Competition Shoes

All the competition shoes must comply with World Athletics TR5, including the sole and/or heel and the spikes dimensions. It is the athletes’ responsibility to make sure that the shoes to be used for competition are on the current list of approved shoes models by the World Athletics (https://www.worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/technical-information) In case of no compliance with the TR5 or the list of approved shoes, an athlete may be not allowed to compete or disqualified after the competition with the result being void.

The shoes will be checked at the Call Room as the clothing items.

Call Room

The first call for the participants will be made in the Call Room near the start line (see Appendix 3). It is the responsibility of the team managers to ensure that their athletes are aware of the last check-in times for entry to the Call Room. Athletes arriving late may be excluded from participation in the event.

RaceFirst callLast Call
U20 Women10:0010:10
U20 Men10:3010:45
Senior Women11:0511:15
Senior Men11:4511:55
Senior Mixed Relay12:3512:45

Call Room Procedures

In the Call Room the judges will check the following in accordance with World Athletics Rules:

  • Competition Bibs
  • Shoes according to Rule TR5
  • Uniforms
  • Bags (identification on and content of)
  • Any other kind of advertising

Athletes competing in some of the running events will be provided with a small transponder which will be inserted in a pouch at the back of the front and back bibs. After the competition, the athletes should return the transponder at the entrance of the Kit Collection Area, where they will be collected by volunteers.

Athletes in combined events need only report to venue before their first event of each day. Then for any other events during the same day, the athletes are to report to the Combined Events Resting Area at the times provided by the combined events referee, from where they would be escorted directly to the infield.

Personal belongings (video cameras, tape recorders, radios, CD players, radio transmitters, MP3/MP4, cell phones or similar devices) will not be permitted in the infield as per World Athletics Rule 6 of the Technical Rules or TR6. Competition officials in Call Room will confiscate all not authorised items. Athletes will receive a receipt for any such items. Upon presentation of this receipt, the athletes will be able to collect such items from the TIC once their event has finished.

Specific Event Procedures

Competition Regulations are available online.

Event Presentation Format

Once the athletes are at the start area before the start of the relevant race, the names and the countries of the participant teams will be announced. As the athletes line up for the start, selected athletes will be introduced to the public.

Official announcements will be made in Portuguese and English.

Starter’s commands

All instructions will be given in English. The command is “On your marks” followed by a shot from the starter’s gun.

False Start

In the event of the false start, the starter will fire a second shot and officials will raise a tape across the course, 100m from the start line.

Starting Stations

For each race, each team will be allocated a starting station, the position of which will be drawn by the Technical Delegate. The result of the draw will be announced at the Technical Meeting and displayed at the Information Desks in the teams´ hotels as well as on the start gantry at the course.

Competition Numbers

Each athlete will receive 2 bib numbers: 1 to be put on the back of the singlet and the other one, with the name of the club, to be pinned in front of the singlet. Both bibs numbers will be delivered after the Technical Meeting.

The competition bibs may not be cut, bent, covered or ruined in any way.

Chip Transponders

A chip transponder to be put on one of the shoes will be handed out in the call room. Athletes must ensure the proper placement of the transponder as it is the responsibility of the team managers and the athletes to ensure they are aware of the check-in times for entry to the Call Room in due time. The chips are for single use, and will have to be returned after each race, at the Chip/Kit Collection Area (see exact location in Appendix 3).

Leaving the course after competition

After the competition, athletes leave immediately the course through the mixed zone – where the media interviews will be carried out – and then walk to the Chip/Kit Collection Area (see exact location in Appendix 3) where they will have to return the chip transponders and also find the clothing baskets.

Athletes attending the victory ceremony will be accompanied directly to the Victory Ceremony zone.

Scoring

Each race shall be scored separately. Each team’s score shall be determined by the aggregate of finishing positions achieved by its 3 (three) best placed athletes. If two or more athletes tie for a place in any event, the attributable points shall be divided equally between them.

A team with fewer than 3 (three) finishing athletes shall not be counted in the team classification.

No adjustment to teams’ scores shall be made in respect of any non-scoring team members or athletes participating as individual. Teams shall be classified according to their scores, the team in each event having the lowest score being the winner, and so on. A tie shall be decided in favour of the team whose last scoring athlete finishes nearest to first place.

Timing & Measurement

The official timing will be provided by Associação de Atletismo de Lisboa and will be displayed on the official electronic timing instrument and photo finish cameras.

Clocks

A clock showing the race time is positioned on the finish line gantry as well as at the lap point. Final and intermediate results of the races and the respective team points will be indicated on the video board.

Start-List

Start Lists will be available for the Team Leaders on Saturday 5 February after the Technical Meeting ,on the online confirmation tool  and display per Welcome Desk.

Results

Results will be displayed on the notice boards located at the course after each race. A copy of each event results will be available at the TIC.


Post Competition Procedures

After the competition, athletes leave immediately through the mixed zone.

In the mixed zone, all athletes meet the media: first TV, then radio and finally the written press. It is for the athlete to decide whether he/she will give an interview.

The clothing baskets will be brought to the kits collection area located after the mixed zone. The first three athletes in each event may be asked to attend an official press conference. These press conferences will take priority over all other interview requirements. They will usually be held before doping controls.

Protests and Appeals

Protests and appeals are permitted and will be processed in accordance with World Athletics Rule 8 of the Technical Rules or TR8.

In the first instance, protests must be made orally to the Referee by the athlete himself/herself or by someone acting on his/her behalf or by an official representative of a team (World Athletics Rule 8 of the Technical Rules or TR8). Such person or team may protest only if they are competing in the same round of the event to which the protest (or subsequent appeal) relates.

Where the appropriate Referee is not accessible or available, the protest should be made to him through the TIC. Protests concerning the result or conduct of an event shall be made within 30 minutes of the official announcement of the result of that event (posted on the TIC information board).

If the final decision of Referee is not satisfactory a written appeal can be submitted to the Jury of Appeal also through the TIC.

Any written appeal to the Jury of Appeal must be made in accordance with World Athletics Rule 8 of the Technical Rules or TR8 and signed by a responsible official on behalf of the athlete and submitted to TIC within 30 minutes after the official announcement of the decision made by the Referee.

When submitting an appeal form, a deposit of EUR 75, as set in the rules, must be paid. If the protest is unsuccessful, the deposit will not be returned. The Jury’s decision will be provided in writing.