World Athletics Certification for synthetic surfaces
When competitive sport is practised at the highest level, the sports facilities and surfaces used must be of an equally high standard. It is therefore common practice for international elite sports federations to specify their own requirements and certification guidelines for sports facilities and the surfaces used, some of which go beyond the requirements set out in the relevant standards. The main purpose of these certifications is to establish a framework conductive to fair and safe competition.
This is also the case in the field of athletics, where World Athletics, the international governing body for athletics, has introduced its own certification system for synthetic tracks and other sports surfaces. The requirements are set out in the 'Track and Runway Synthetic Surface Testing Specifications', drawn up by World Athletics itself. The specifications cover not only the 400m track, but also other synthetic surfaces of a facility, such as long jump, pole vault, high jump or javelin runways. In addition to synthetic surfaces, complete track and field facilities and testing laboratories are also certified by World Athletics. ISP GmbH – Institut für Sportstättenprüfung has been awarded such a certificate and is therefore qualified to professionally test your facility featuring a synthetic surface and your athletics track for compliance with World Athletics specifications.
Specific requirements of World Athletics
The World Athletics specifications not only set out the technical requirements for synthetic surfaces, but also provide detailed descriptions of how the relevant tests should be carried out, as do the DIN standards. In addition to general provisions, the specifications encompass requirements in nine categories, almost all of which can also be found in the DIN EN 14877 standard. In more detail, these are: imperfections, i.e. damage to the track, surface unevenness, thickness of layers, shock absorption, vertical deformation, friction, tensile properties, colour loss, and drainage.
In order to be awarded World Athletics certification, synthetic surface products to be used in track and field facilities must meet the requirements of these specifications, both in the laboratory and in the field after installation. This is a prerequisite for the synthetic surfaces to be used in track and field facilities, for instance for Diamond League events, for European and World Championships Series events or even for the Olympic Games.
Operators of sports facilities seeking World Athletics certification must provide, in addition to the certificate for the facility featuring a synthetic surface, evidence that all other products installed or utilised, such as shot put areas, discus and hammer throw grounds, jumping pits, jumping facilities, safety fences, and so on, meet the requirements of World Athletics. The age of the facility dictates the timeframe for the validity of the certificate. Facilities being 12 years or older can no longer be certified for top-level international athletics competitions.
Considerable benefits for manufacturers of certified surfaces
Manufacturers of synthetic surfaces certified by World Athletics therefore benefit significantly from their certification. As the competition venues need to be modernised and refurbished after 12 years, their latest products will be in regular use.
In addition, many sports federations would like to have equivalent conditions to those found in large facilities at training centres and smaller competition venues. In such cases, World Athletics certification, as offered by ISP GmbH – Institut für Sportstättenprüfung, is the basis for successfully marketing your own products.
ServicesHave your products tested.
In order to be used for international competitions, facilities featuring synthetic track and field surfaces must be certified by World Athletics. ISP GmbH – Institut für Sportstättenprüfung is one of the few laboratories worldwide that has been certified by World Athletics and is therefore authorised to test synthetic surfaces in this regard. Drawing on our extensive experience and leveraging our state-of-the-art test methods, we are well-positioned to facilitate your synthetic surface's potential inclusion in high-profile international events, such as the Olympic Games.
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We will be happy to advise you on the procedure and background to testing synthetic surfaces.
Synthetic surfaces
| Sports | Test criteria |
|---|---|
| Athletics | Sports function |
| Basketball | Protective function |
| Hockey | Technical properties |
| Tennis | Environmental compatibility |