Athletes’ Representatives

To help protect athletes and ensure transparency across the sport, World Athletics introduced centralised rules for Athletes’ Representatives (ARs) in August 2023. 

Licensing opened in September 2023 and since January 2024 certain athletes and elite competitions are required to work only with licensed ARs. The rules have continued to evolve, with updates in August 2024 and January 2025. 

What does this mean? 

• Only licensed ARs can provide representation services. 
• Ranked athletes can work with a licensed AR, represent themselves, or (with permission) work with their Member Federation. 
• Representation covers key areas such as competition participation, employment agreements and commercial deals. 

For full details on licensing, ranked athletes, and how transactions are managed, visit the World Athletics AR Portal.