Welcome to the
ATHLETE ZONE
Your hub for empowerment and performance
The Athlete Zone is a resource centre dedicated to help you thrive, on and off the field of play. Whether you're aiming for a personal best, navigating the business of sport, or planning your life beyond competition, this hub is built to support your journey at every stage.
Here, you'll find links to short courses, expert tools and resources to help you take control of your career, elevate your performance, look after your health and safeguard your well-being. From mastering your personal brand, to optimising your nutrition and understanding the rules of the sport, this is where you build the knowledge to succeed.
Whether you're just stepping into elite sport or preparing for life beyond the finish line, the Athlete Zone is here to help you build your future.
WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS TOKYO 25
The Athlete Zone
The Athlete Zone, located at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, is open daily from 10:00am to 10:00pm throughout the Championships. This dedicated area is exclusively available to accredited athletes and offers two unique wellness spaces: Yui and Zen.
Step into Yui to recharge your energy. This vibrant space is designed to refresh and inspire athletes through a selection of traditional Japanese cultural activities. Whether you’re looking for a creative reset or simply a boost between events, Yui is a place to reawaken your senses.
Zen is your quiet retreat for mindfulness and calm. Here, you can slow down, breathe deeply, and find focus through relaxation and meditation. It’s the ideal space to mentally reset and reconnect with yourself before or after competition.
Join the Power of Respect
Since its debut at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, the Athletics Integrity Unit’s Power of Respect campaign has made a global impact — promoting respect for yourself, for others, and for the rules as the foundation of protecting our sport’s integrity.
At the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, the campaign evolves to shine a spotlight on Respect for Others — and the role it plays in every action we take on and off the track. This will be the heart of the AIU’s outreach programme in Tokyo. You will find them at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel (Team Hotel), Annex Tower, 5F, right next to the Prince Hall dining area. All athletes and support personnel are invited to connect with us in person to participate in the campaign and discuss any integrity topics that is of concern for you.
Anti-Doping
The World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 is the biggest athletics event of the year, and as always, the AIU has prepared a comprehensive anti-doping testing programme in partnership with the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) and the Local Organising Committee (LOC). More than a thousand tests — for both profiling and detection — are planned throughout the championships.
Athletes and their support personnel should review the following key information to ensure they are fully prepared for testing in Tokyo.
🏨 Before the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 begins, pre-competition testing will be organised at the athlete hotel.
🏟️ During the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, you may be tested at the competition venues, regardless of whether you were tested pre-competition.
🧫 Doping control sample(s) provided in Tokyo will be kept for up to 10 years for re-analysis, after the routine analysis has been performed.
📋 Check all substances and methods against the 2025 Prohibited List before use
📍 RTP athletes must maintain accurate Whereabouts information and update as their circumstances change; this applies even during the championships.
Don’t assume we know where you are. If you wish to share any experience with respect to Testing, write to the AIU at quality@athleticsintegrity.org.
KNOW YOUR SPORT
Athlete Representatives
Whether you’re signing your first contract, reevaluating your current management relationship, or deciding whether to have one at all, choosing your Athlete Representative (AR) is one of the most important decisions a professional athlete can make. Your representation can shape your opportunities, finances, brand, and long-term career.
👉 More information on the AR Rules and Regulations can be found here [EN] [FR]
📩 If you’re experiencing issues with your AR or have questions on correct conduct, contact: DisciplinaryOfficer@worldathletics.org
Marketing and Advertising Rules
There are several ways in which you can leverage sponsors. One option is on your competition kit. The rules for this are quite simple, but many athletes don’t know what the opportunities are.
Per World Athletics Marketing and Advertising Rules, an athlete is allowed up to three personal sponsor logos (includes sports manufacturer) on upper and lower body kit.
Below you will find details on size and location to maximise your kit real-estate.
👉 Download the guide for your personal kit here: [EN] [FR]
💡 The rules for World Athletics Series events differ slightly, as you are wearing your national kit, but you can find a visual help here: [EN] [FR]
📩 If you’ve got questions about your kit, contact: kitapprovals@worldathletics.org
Competition Shoes
World Athletics sets out rules as to what shoe models can and cannot be worn in athletics competitions. Some shoes may be approved in some disciplines, but not in others.
What you must do:
- Identify the shoe model you intend to wear in competition.
- Verify the shoe against the Shoe Checker Application – certcheck.worldathletics.org
- Shoes that are not on the application are not authorised to be worn in competition.
- You may also be required to undergo shoe control at competitions: this may include the shoe control officer taking photos of your shoes, or, your shoes being collected for independent assessment.
- It is important to keep your shoes with you after competing.
👟 Check the Approved Shoes List here: certcheck.worldathletics.org
📩 Get in touch for more information and support: rules@worldathletics.org
Anti-doping
Athletes who compete in athletics cannot take prohibited substances. Every year, the World Anti-Doping Agency publishes a list of prohibited substances in sport.
What you must do:
- Be aware of all medications and supplements you are taking
- Verify the ingredients against the Prohibited List
- Another useful tool to search for specific products manufactured in your country is Global DRO, accessible here
- If you take regular medication which features on the Prohibited List, you should consult with the Athletics Integrity Unit or your own national anti-doping agency to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption.
- You may be subject to doping control testing throughout your athletics career and be required to provide urine and/or blood samples.
Transfer of allegiance
If you want to compete for a different country in athletics, you’ll likely need approval from the Nationality Review Panel. Once your new country’s federation applies, there’s a three-year wait where you can’t compete for any country.
You’ll need to show proof of citizenship or living there (like a passport or lease) and explain why you want to switch—maybe for family, studies, or a club deal. Only federations can apply, and it can take two to three months or more to get a decision.
The panel also fixes things like name or birthdate errors. Start early and stay in touch with your federation.
📩 Get in touch for more information and support.: nrp.secretariat@worldathletics.org
PROTECT YOUR SPORT
Safeguarding: Protect. Prevent. Empower.
Safeguarding is about making sure everyone in our sport is safe from any kind of harm, abuse, harassment or exploitation. It’s about creating a safe and happy environment where everyone feels respected, valued and can perform at their very best.
Creating a safe and supportive environment is every athlete's right.
A safer sport is a stronger sport.
👉 Take the Safeguarding Essentials course here.
📩 Get in touch for more information and support: safeguarding@worldathletics.org
Reporting integrity breaches in athletics
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) works to keep the sport clean and fair by fighting things like doping, cheating, match-fixing, and harassment.
Whether you’re an athlete, coach, fan, or part of the support team, you can play a part by speaking up if you see something wrong.
No tip is too small—every bit of info can help. Know something? Report it.
👉 Details on how to make a report can be found athleticsintegrity.org/make-a-report
BUILD YOUR BRAND
Social Media and Storytelling
Today, performance on the track – how fast you run or how far you throw – is only half the story. Brands, fans, and the media are no longer just looking at the stopwatch or scoreboard, they’re looking at you.
Our Mastering Social Media and Storytelling: Tools for Athletes eLearning course helps athletes like you define and amplify their personal brand across digital platforms. Whether you're at the start of your career or looking ahead to life after competition, this course will equip you with the skills to help you tell your story, grow your presence online, and open doors for future opportunities, on and off the track.
👉 Learn how you can tell your story with impact here.
WELL AND WINNING
Fuelling performance: A nutrition guide for athletes
As an athlete, your performance is built not only on training and talent, but also on what you put on your plate. Proper nutrition is essential for powering your workouts, supporting recovery, and achieving PBs on competition day. When preparing for your next competition, understanding how to fuel your body is just as important as your technique.
To support you in making informed dietary choices, World Athletics has developed a series resources covering a wide range of topics, from hydration and energy needs to recovery strategies and supplement use designed specifically with track and field athletes in mind.
👉 Explore here and take your nutrition to the next level: World Athletics nutrition resources
Is your performance holding you back? It could be RED-S
If you're training hard but feeling unusually fatigued, experiencing frequent injuries, or noticing changes in your mood or concentration, you may be dealing with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). This condition, caused by insufficient energy intake to meet the demands of both training and daily life, can severely impair performance, recovery, and long-term health—for both male and female athletes.
Pelvic floor health
Your pelvic floor plays a vital role in athletic performance, recovery, and overall health, yet it's often overlooked in elite training programs. This essential guide is tailored for professional track and field athletes, breaking down the science, symptoms, and strategies to help you strengthen, protect, and care for this foundational part of your body.
Beat the heat in World Athletics Road Races
Whether you're chasing a PB or a podium finish, racing in hot and humid conditions poses a serious challenge to performance and safety. Beat the Heat in World Athletics Road Races gives you the science-backed strategies you need to thrive when temperatures rise, from acclimatization techniques to hydration plans and cooling methods.
SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
Athletes' Commision – your voice within the sport
The Athletes’ Commission comprises of 18 athletes from all six Area Associations. Every two years athletes from around the world vote for their representatives on the Commission.
Until the 2025 Elections in Tokyo, the Athletes' Commission is chaired by:
• Chair: Valerie Adams (NZL)
• Deputy Chair: Matthew Hughes (CAN)
The athletes’ voice is important: without athletes, there is no athletics. To make sure athletes’ ideas and opinions are heard, the Athletes’ Commission represents the voice of athletes from around the world at the highest level of decision making, including the World Athletics Council.
The objectives of the Athletes’ Commission are to:
- Advocate for the rights and interests of athletes within the sport of athletics and firmly establish the Athletes’ Commission profile amongst its peers.
- Promote and advocate for the advancement and implementation of a safe, fair, and equal playing field for athletes.
- Advise and assist World Athletics in driving innovation and opportunities with the athletes’ perspective at the forefront.
- Create a framework to help understand and develop athlete revenue and competition opportunities and educate athletes on related rules and regulations.
- Assist World Athletics in driving engagement with fans and developing people and expertise within our sport. You can find out more information about the Athletes’ Commission's 4-Year Plan here.
All Area Associates and Member Federations have, or are encouraged to have an Athletes’ Commission. Get in touch with your federation to find out how you can get involved.
📩 Get in touch for more information and support: athletescomms@worldathletics.org
For questions and contact:
| Topic | Contact |
| Integrity Code of Conduct | athleticsintegrity.org/make-a-report |
| Safeguarding | safeguarding@worldathletics.org |
| Athletes’ Representatives | DisciplinaryOfficer@worldathletics.org |
| Athletic Shoes | rules@worldathletics.org |
| Transfers of Allegiance | nrp.secretariat@worldathletics.org |
| Athletic Kit (Clothing) | kitapprovals@worldathletics.org |
| Athletes’ Commission | athletescomms@worldathletics.org |