Sanctioning
The purpose of sanctioning is to communicate to race participants, event partners and the general public that a designated event is being conducted in a fair, safe and responsible manner, in accordance with the rules and standards of the sport based on the nature of event being offered and where the event is registered as a competitive event, results achieved will be recognized by other national governing bodies for the sport and World Athletics.
To sanction your event in Saskatchewan, the Application for Saskatchewan Athletics Sanctioning must be submitted at least 70 days prior to your event.
Benefits of Sanctioning:
-Members will have their race results included in the Athletics Canada rankings
-Sanctioned events have the right to have their course certified through Athletics Canada/World Athletics
-Saskatchewan Athletics will assist with promoting and advertising sanctioned events
-Event organizers may use the Saskatchewan Athletics logo for promotional purposes
-Sanctioned events have the right to bid to host Saskatchewan Provincial Championship events
-Access to Saskatchewan Athletics insurance if needed
-Saskatchewan Athletics may assist in recruiting officials and event volunteers
-Saskatchewan Athletics may provide race directors with financial assistance to attend race director conferences (eg. Athletics Ontario Race Director Summit, BC Athletics Race Directors Conference)
Apply For Event Sanctioning
Complete the following form and send a copy to admin@saskathletics.ca at least 70 days prior to the event.
https://saskathletics.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Off-Track-Sanction-1.pdf
Certification
Athletics Canada believes that every runner deserves to run on an accurately measured course. Our course certification program confirms that the advertised race course distance has been accurately measured according to international standards and the measurement data is reviewed by an accredited certifier.
Course certification provides an opportunity to be able to conduct meaningful comparisons between different race courses for the achievement of personal best performances, as well as ensuring the fair administration of qualifying times and establishment of records. A properly measured course also helps timing companies to position timing equipment at the appropriate location.
The standards for course measurement are jointly established by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) and World Athletics (WA). The system is managed by experienced course measurers. In Canada, this service is managed under the authority of Athletics Canada.
Please note – Before a course measurement certificate can be issued, your event must first be sanctioned. Existing course measurement certificates are only considered valid if the event is also sanctioned. Athletics Canada National Course Measurement Certificates are normally valid for 10 years and World Athletics International Course Measurement Certificates are normally valid for 5 years, but event sanctioning must be renewed every year.
Apply For Course Certification
Online application for Certification of a Road and or Calibration Course
*Events must be sanctioned before an application for certification can be made. Course measurement certificates will not be issued to unsanctioned events.
Athletics Canada Competition Rules
Athletics Canada Competition Rules (Version: June 2023)
Athletics Canada Events and Technical Specifications for Athletics Manual
World Athletics Rule 5 on Footwear
National Officials Committee Guidelines For The Implementation Of World Athletics Rule 5 On Footwear.
FAQ
What’s the difference between Sanctioning and Certifiation?
-Course certification provides a guarantee with regards to the accuracy of the course measurement including distance and changes in elevation, while sanctioning formalizes the agreement of the race director to abide by guidelines relating safety, the adherence to stipulated racing regulations and other guidelines put forth by the governing body for road running in the designated region.
A sanctioned event may be run on an uncertified course. In this case, the results will not be eligible for records.
Certified courses must be sanctioned in order to be considered valid. This is especially important to note for marathon race directors that want their event to be used as a qualifying race for events such as the Boston Marathon. *Athletics Canada reserves the right to invalidate course certificates at their discretion.
How do I know if a course is certified and sanctioned?
-All sanctioned events in Saskatchewan will appear on our Off-Track Events Calendar. If an event does not appear on this calendar, it has not been sanctioned. We regularly update this calendar as we receive applications for sanctioning, so make sure to check back from time to time.
On our Off-Track Events Calendar you can also see if an event is certified.
Certified courses must be sanctioned in order to be considered valid. This is especially important to note for marathon race directors that want their event to be used as a qualifying race for events such as the Boston Marathon. *Athletics Canada reserves the right to invalidate course certificates at their discretion.
You can view the directory of Canadian course measurement certificates here. This only lists course certificates, it does not necessarily indicate if an event is sanctioned.
Are sanctioned and certified events all record elligible?
-Not necessarily. Events may be sanctioned and certified, but they may not be record eligible. In order for a course to be record eligible, the net elevation drop of a course must be no more than 1m/km (for example -10.0m for a 10km race), and the separation distance between the start and finish line must be no more than 50% of the race distance. This information can be found in the course measurement certificate.
Who do I contact for more information about sanctioning and certification?
-Please send an email to Jared Welsh at programs@saskathletics.ca