Why become accredited?
Officials are essential for fun, fair competition, for safety, and for records to be counted.
There are no course or registration fees. Becoming an official also gives you an in-depth understanding of the sport and it opens up opportunities to travel.
Steps to become an accredited official in Queensland
Complete the World Athletics elearning
The course is free and done in your own time, online.
- Go to the Technical Officials (WARECS) section.
- Complete the National Athletics Referee course.
Complete three days of event practice
Practical days with Queensland Athletics, covering all events, so you have seen each one run properly before you are responsible for it.
Queensland Athletics officials education →Register with Australian Athletics
This records your accreditation nationally.
Australian Athletics officials hub →And you are on your way. That is what starts your progress as an accredited official.
Where it can take you
If you find you have an interest in it, you can progress your accreditation through the levels as you gain experience:
- Referee
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
The higher levels allow you to officiate at international athletics events. Maybe even the Olympics one day.
Why accreditation matters
A record is only as good as the people who witnessed it. Australian Masters Athletics sets out what has to be in place before a record claim stands, and almost all of it depends on having accredited officials in the right positions at the right moment:
- Events up to and including 800m require full electronic timing.
- A throw can only be verified by an accredited official who also acted as Chief Judge for it, having watched the measurement taken from the marker through the centre of the circle, or through the intersection of the sector lines on the javelin runway, and having seen the javelin land tip first.
- Implements used in a record claim must be certified after the performance by the event's accredited technical manager.
- A jump must be verified by an accredited official, ideally as it happens. Where no official is present the event stops until one is found: proceed without verification and the attempt is void.
- A walks record needs three accredited officials to verify it.
Queensland masters athletes break a lot of records, and every one of them needs somebody trained standing in the right place. The full detail is in the AMA policy Claiming of Australian Records at Athletic Events and the AMA National Track and Field Championships Manual.