KIDS’ATHLETICS IAAF

0. 
   “IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS” is intended to bring excitement into playing Athletics. New events and innovative organisation will enable children to discover basic activities: sprinting, endurance running, jumping, throwing/putting in just about any place (stadium, playground, gymnasium, any available sport area, etc.).
   The athletics games will provide children with the opportunity to make the most of the beneficial practice of Athletics, in terms of Health, Education, and Self- fulfillment.
   
   Objectives
   These are the organisational objectives of the concept of “IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS”:
   • That a large number of children can be active at the same time • That varied and basic athletic forms of movements are experienced • That not only stronger or faster children make a contribution to a good result • That skill demands vary according to the age and requisite coordination abilities • That a character of adventure infuses the programme, offering an approach to
   Athletics that is suitable for children
   
   IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS 
   A Practical Guide
   • That the structure and scoring of the event is easy, based on rank order of teams
   • That few assistants and judges are required • That athletics is offered as a mixed team event (boys and girls together)
   
   The content objectives of the “IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS” events are:
   
   Health promotion – One of the main objectives of all sporting activities must be to encourage children to play and use up their energy in order to preserve long- term health. Athletics is uniquely designed to meet this challenge by the varying nature of the playing activities and by the physical features its practice requires.
   The increasing demands of the forms of games provided to children will contribute to their harmonious general development.
   
   Social interaction – “IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS” is a profitable factor of integration of children in a social background. Team events, in which everyone makes a contribution to the game, are the opportunity for children to meet and to accept their differences. The simplicity of the rules and the harmless nature of the offered events, allow children to play the part of officials and team coaches to the full. These responsibilities they really take on are special moments when they can experience citizenship.
   
   Character of adventure – To be stimulated, children need to have the feeling they can actually win the event they take part in. The selected formula (team, events, organisation) conspires to keep the event outcome unpredictable until the last event. This is a driving element of children’s motivation.

   
   Principle of team
   Teamwork is a basic principle of “IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS”. All team members make a contribution to the results, on the occasion of running events (relay) or as individual contributions to the overall team result (in every event). Individual participation contributes to the team result and reinforces the concept that the participation of each child is to be valued. Every child takes part in all the events
   IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS - A Practical Guide
   which prevents early specialisation. Teams are mixed (made up of 5 girls and 5 boys if possible).
   

   Age Groups and Event Programme
   “IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS” is carried out in three-age groups:
   -  Group I: children of the ages of 7 and 8 years
   -  Group II: children of the ages of 9 and 10 years
   -  Group III: children of the ages of 11 and 12 years

   
   - All events for Age Groups I and II are carried out as team-events.
   - For Age Group III, the events are conducted as relay events or individual events, in which the groups who compete are made up of two halves of a team. To move from a team-configuration to the individual configuration of Youth competitions, groups which comprise of several members from two teams are formed to compete. The organisation of this significant change is straightforward.

   
   - All children have to compete several times in each of the event groups.

   
   - The event is organised according to a turning principle, so that teams take turns at every event stations. For each station, each team member has 1 minute to compete (10 children = 10 minutes). After the different disciplines of the event groups (sprinting/running/hurdles, throwing/putting and jumping) are carried out, all the teams take part in the Endurance event together at the
   end.

   Additional competition programmes will guarantee that children thoroughly experience the varied forms of athletic movements and that they benefit from a comprehensive physical education.
   IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS - A Practical Guide

   
   

   Age Group (Years)	7-8	9-10	11-12
   Sprinting/Running Events
   Sprint/Hurdles Shuttle Relay	X	X
   Bends Formula: Sprint/Hurdles Running			X
   Bends Formula: Sprint Relay			X
   Sprint/Slalom		X	X
   Hurdles			X
   Formula One (Sprint-, Hurdles- and Slalom Running)	X	X
   8’ Endurance Race	X	X
   Progressive Endurance Race		X	X
   1000m Endurance Race			X
   Jumping Events
   Pole Long Jumping		X	X
   Pole Long Jumping over a sand pit			X
   Rope Skipping	X
   Short Run-up Triple Jumping			X
   Forward Squat Jumping	X	X
   Cross Hopping	X	X	X
   Short Run-up Long Jumping			X
   Ladder Running	X	X
   Triple Jumping within a limited area	X	X	X
   Exacting Long Jumping		X	X
   Throwing Events
   Target Throwing	X	X
   Teens Javeling Throwing			X
   Kids Javelin Throwing	X	X	X
   Knee Throwing	X	X	X
   Teens Discus Throwing			X
   Overhead Backward Throwing		X	X
   Rotational Throwing		X	X
   Total events recommended	8	9	10

   
   
   

   Materials and Equipment
   
   In some cases, specially developed pieces of specific are required for the conduct of the “IAAF KIDS’ ATHLETICS” programme. This equipment can be put together very easily, transported without any problem and set up or taken down quickly.
   If this equipment cannot be obtained for any reason, the programme can be conducted with local materials and handmade products. The most important criteria remains that the properties and characteristics of the materials defined for the IAAF Kids’ Athletics programme are respected. 
   
   Example