Running Rules - Etosha Fishing

Road Running and Cross Country Rules

General

These rules may not be in conflict with the constitution of Athletics Namibia or the rules of your Region, or the IAAF.
All road races/cross country events organised by the affiliates of Athletics Namibia are subject to the Rules of Athletics Namibia and this must be stated in all announcements, advertisements, programmes and printed matter related to the race.
These rules are subject to the approval of Athletics Namibia and may only be amended by them.

Dress

All athletes will compete in their officially registered club colours, except when representing some other officially selected team. Special permission to run in other colours may be granted by Athletics Namibia, or the respective regional athletics body.
All club colours must be registered with the respective Regional athletics association.
Participants issued with temporary licenses need not wear club colours, but must at all times be decently clad.

Race & License Numbers

License numbers as provided by Athletics Namibia through the Regional athletic bodies must be worn in all races run under the jurisdiction of Athletics Namibia, except where special race numbers are provided for a race. Failure to do so will automatically disqualify the runner.
Race and license numbers shall not be altered in such a way as to conceal the number, name of the sponsor, the region and the year for which issued.
Every athlete must wear and display two numbers during all competitions (front and back).
These numbers will be the official license number. If the race organisers require a special number to be worn, this must be worn on the front of the vest.
Race and license numbers are not transferable under any circumstances.
The minimum height of the number characters shall be 120 mm.

Licenses

No person may participate in a road race organised by a club affiliated to Athletics Namibia or a race organised directly by Athletics Namibia unless at the time of the race he/she is the holder of an Athletics Namibia license issued by his/her regional athletic body.
License forms are issued by Athletics Namibia through the Regional Athletic bodies. No dual registration will be permitted. Where athletes change their place of residence during a calendar year, they may retain their license until it expires.
Licenses expire on 31st December each year.
Only club members may purchase a license and all licensing is done through the clubs.
No athlete whose application for a license has been refused or whose license has not been renewed, will be allowed to compete in any road race.

Temporary Licenses

To enable unlicensed athletes to compete in approved races, and also to cater for licensed athletes who leave their license numbers and/or club colours at home, temporary licenses may be issued subject to the following conditions:

Temporary licenses are only valid for the race for which it is issued.
An additional fee must be levied by the Regional Athletic body in whose area the race will be held, over and above the race entry fee.
No temporary license will be issued to a suspended athlete without the approval of Athletics Namibia.
Holders of temporary licenses will be eligible for prizes in the senior category only.

Participation

No club, committee or any other party may enter a competitor in any road race without the consent of the competitor concerned.
Race organisers may not refuse entry to any competitor on the grounds of politics, race or religion.
Race organisers may not refuse entry to members of a club duly affiliated to the competitor's Regional Body without prior consent of the body.
Race organisers may refuse entry from any athlete on grounds of false information, or for failing to comply with any of the conditions of entry published or advertised by the organisers.
Race organisers may not accept any entry from any athlete suspended by his club, region or Athletics Namibia. Should any entry already have been accepted prior to such suspension, the entry shall automatically become invalid.
The organising body shall impose distance restrictions (as defined) on persons less than 18 years of age.

International Affairs, Overseas Participation:
Namibians Abroad

No negotiating concerning an athlete competing overseas, may take place without the approval of Athletics Namibia. No athlete is allowed to compete in athletics events abroad without the prior written permission of Athletics Namibia through his/her Club and Regional Body. The dates, venues, and names of the events must be clearly stated in the request. The appropriate certification will be issued by the Secretary General or his appointee. Athletes must compete in club colours.
Such participation is subject to the Athletics Namibia rules dealing with international participation.
Any athlete participating in any foreign country shall compete subject to the regulations of the country concerned.

Visitors to Namibia

Any foreign athlete intending to compete in Namibia shall be subject to the Athletics Namibia rules dealing with this matter.
Should a Regional Athletic body, club or race organiser wish to invite a foreign athlete or guest to Namibia, permission to negotiate with the person must first be obtained from Athletics Namibia.
Any foreign athletes participating in road races in Namibia shall compete subject to the rules of Athletics Namibia.
A decision on whether a foreign athlete may compete for a club in a team competition will rest with Athletics Namibia.

Age Groups

A junior must be under the age of 20 on 31 December in the year of competition, i.e. 19 years or younger on the day of the competition.
Those athletes, whose ages on the day of the competition range from 20 - 40 years, shall be restricted to competing in the senior category.
A Veteran must be at least 40 years old on the day of the race. (40 – 49 Years).
A Master must be at least 50 years old. (50 – 59 Years).
A Grandmaster must be 60 years or older on the day of the race.

Apart from the Senior category, an athlete will not be eligible for any category prize, unless he/she is wearing an official age category tag (J, V, M, GN) prominently displayed on the front and back of the vest. Official age category tags can be obtained from the Athletics Namibia office upon receipt of proof of age.

Any athlete who cannot produce upon demand any acceptable Proof of Age documents will be afforded 3 days in which to comply, failing which he/she will be ineligible for any age group prizes and will be eligible to compete in the Senior or Open category only.

The organising body shall impose the following distance restrictions or persons under 18 years old. Ages are taken as being the age on the day of the race. The following minimum age will apply to the respective distances:
Distance Minimum Age

5 km 8 years
10 km 12 years
15 km 14 years
21.1 km 16 years
32 km 16 years
42.2 km 20 years
Ultra 20 years

The senior competition is an open competition, i.e. juniors, sub-veterans, veterans, masters, and grandmasters are eligible for individual prizes as well as their own category prizes in the same race.

An athlete may compete simultaneously for more than one team prize in the same race and may score for both teams, e.g. veteran team and senior team or masters and veterans teams.
Wheelchair competitors may only participate if the organisers make special provision for them and if permission has been granted by the relevant traffic authority.

Advertising
No athlete's name or photograph may be used in advertising without his/her consent.
The following advertising only may be displayed on a competitors dress:IAAF Rule 18 and IAAF advertising regulations 5

Teams
There is no limit to the size of a team that a club/region may enter:
Men's (open) competition: 4 to count
All others: 3 to count

Physical Assistance
Athletes may receive assistance during an event longer than 5 km, provided this assistance is not considered excessive and does not give the athlete an unfair advantage over other competitors. Such assistance may range from advice, intermediate times, massaging, changing of shoes, etc.

Practises which are definitely not allowed include the following:
Pacing (non-competitive running) which is defined as someone running alongside another competitor, where the pace setter -

is not a bona fide entrant in the race;
athlete has been lapped;
rejoins the race after having temporarily retired;
does not start with the other athletes

(A second may run alongside an athlete for a distance not exceeding 100m - such distance considered being adequate to hand him/her a bottle or sponge and to receive it again. Apart from above, no bystander, team manager or any other interested person may run with a competitor for any distance whatsoever.)
An athlete may not be physically supported by any person including medical personnel or other competitors at any stage during the race.
Although men and women often run together, technically speaking they are running separate races. A man who is entered in the men's race but then obviously and intentionally runs with a woman, in order to give her an advantage, is therefore guilty of contravening the pacing rule.
A decision on whether an athlete was excessively helped or whether assistance given altered the result of the race, rests with the referee and the Jury of Appeal. They may at their discretion, reverse or alter positions or disqualify an athlete. Such action will usually follow an objection.

Refreshments
There are no restrictions on the number of times that a runner may be offered refreshments during a road race, or what the nature of the refreshment shall be, provided that:

Illegal stimulants in terms of the IAAF ruling are not used.
The domestic rules of the race organisers are not transgressed.
Seconds do not create traffic hazards or interfere excessively with the normal flow of traffic along the road.
Seconding is not conducted directly from a vehicle (including two wheeled) whether stationary or moving.

Illegal Stimulants
All participants in road races are subject to the doping regulations as laid down and applied by Athletics and the IAAF.

Medical Facilities

A doctor or suitable qualified paramedic with facilities to treat athletes suffering from heat exhaustion must be available to report to the finish.
Other first aid attendants must be on duty in a mobile vehicle along the route. They shall carry water and ice packs with them.
A competitor must retire at once from the race if ordered to do so by a member of the medical staff officially appointed. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary action.

Safety
The organisers of all road races must take care to ensure the safety of all competitors. Marshals and/or traffic officers stationed at various points along the route must be obeyed at all times. No animals will be permitted to run with their owners. No 2 or 4 wheel carts/prams which are mechanically or manually operated by participants will be permitted to participate without the special permission of the organisers and traffic authorities.

Officials Necessary at Road Races
All officials must report to their posts at least 15 minutes before their duties commence, unless instructed to report earlier, by the race director.

Race Referee

The Race Referee is the most senior official and should oversee and can overrule the decisions of other officials.
The Race Referee ensures that the rules of Road Running are correctly applied and is there for the benefit of the runner.
It is the duty of the Race Referee to ensure "fair play" amongst runners competing for prize positions. It is the duty of the organising club to ensure the road race is run in accordance with the rules and regulations of Athletics Namibia.
An Athlete must be notified of any disciplinary or penalising action against him/her within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the event. This not being possible due to the athlete's absence, the controlling body will notify him/her.
A runner who is disqualified has the right to lodge an appeal with the Race Organiser in person or in writing within 30 minutes of the offender having been notified and must be accompanied by a payment of N$200.00. The fee will be refunded if the objection is upheld. The payment may be waived at the discretion of the convenor of the Jury of Appeal. A copy of the appeal and decision must be sent to the Regional Body.
Any complaint against an athlete must be filed with the Race Referee within 20 minutes after the conclusion of the event.

Namibia National Championships

Any athlete who accepts selection and then withdraws prior to a Championship event, or any athlete who withdraws during a Championship race, may not partake in a race on the day following the Championships.
Any athlete who has been selected to represent his/her Regional Body and withdraws from the team due to illness must forward a doctor's certificate to the Regional Body office.
If an athlete knows he/she will not be available to compete in a Championship, he/she is requested to advise the Regional Body office or the selectors before the sitting for selection takes place.
If an athlete qualifies for a different category (senior to veteran) between the date of selection and the Championships, he/she is requested to advise Regional Body office or the selectors before selection takes place.

Fun Runs

All Fun Runs must be held under the auspices of a body affiliated to Athletics Namibia. Such runs are subject to the rules or conditions of Athletics Namibia.
All Fun Runs shall be held only on a date approved according to the stipulations of that Committee and may not exceed 10 km in distance. Licensed and unlicensed athletes may participate in these events.
Fun Runs should only be sanctioned provided they are held under the aegis of an affiliated club and if they comply with all the rules, stipulations and conditions laid down by Athletics Namibia. Neither performance prizes, nor participation payments may be offered at a Fun Run.
Licensed athletes participating in fun runs need not wear club colours or display their license numbers during such races.
Licensed athletes shall still be subject to the rules of conduct of their Regional Body and Athletics Namibia, while participating in a fun run or in any activity directly related to it.

Disciplinary Action

Any athlete, who contravenes the domestic regulations or constitution of his Club, Region or Athletics Namibia or brings athletics into disrepute in any other way, will be subject to disciplinary action by his/her club, region or Athletics Namibia. Such action may take the form of a suspension or a fine or any other form of punishment considered appropriate. The line of appeal against such punishment is through the Regional Body, the Athletics Namibia Disciplinary Committee and finally the Athletics Namibia Council.
Any person wilfully competing against a suspended athlete will be subject to disciplinary action.
Any person, who while suspended, enters or attempts to enter a road race, will be liable for further suspension. No club or member may accept an entry from such a suspended athlete. It is the organisers’ responsibility to ensure that all such suspended, or other unofficial runners, are denied entry to any race under their direct control.
Any disqualification in any event must be reported to the Regional Body for possible further action.
Only the Board of Athletics Namibia is empowered to restore the amateur status of an athlete. Application for a reinstatement order must be made to the Regional Body. The Regional Body shall enquire into the circumstances and submit an application together with its recommendations to Athletics Namibia.