Rules of track athletics

In all sprint races, the runners must stay within their lanes or face disqualification. The 800m and the 4 x 400m relay begin in lanes but after runners pass the breakline' any lane may be used.

Races begin at the sound of the starter's pistol. The starter assures competitors are in correct starting position, then calls "On your mark" and "Set", then fires the gun in the air. A false start is declared if an athlete jumps the gun. In all sprints, the shorter races up to and including the 400m, athletes use a crouching start in a set of starting blocks. That includes the first leg of the relays. For events 800m and above, the starter calls "On your mark" and then fires the gun, as athletes use a standing start.

The winner of a race is the first athlete whose torso reaches the plane of the finish line with the winner being decided by a computerised image if need be. In the extremely unlikely event of being unable to split two athletes, both runners will progress to the next heat or be declared the joint winners.

In all relays, runners must exchange the baton within the 20m take-over zone. After handing over the baton, runners must stay within their lanes until the course is clear or their team may be disqualified. If a runner drops the baton during a relay, only the one who dropped it may recover it. The runner may leave his lane to get it; provided he does not obstruct other runners and recovering it would not lessen the distance to be covered.