Rules and Regulations
Rules and regulations specified by the International Association of Athletics Federations or the IAAF are implemented in the Olympics.
- If an athlete commits severe violation of the IAAF rules, she is shown red card. Usually, the judge who has noticed the violation informs the chief judge, who shows the red card.
- If an athlete is shown three red cards, she stands disqualified.
- Number of judges during the race walk must be minimum six.
- The athletes can take refreshments only at specified places.
- While race walking, the athletes must not lose contact with the ground any time. If the advancing leg is bending, it is the violation of IAAF rules.
- For minor offence the athlete is warned by the judge with a yellow card. However, an athlete cannot be warned by the same judge twice.
- An athlete can leave the race course while the race only with prior permission of a judge. And when she is off, she has to remain under strict observation of a judge.
Athletes have to train hard and condition themselves to ready their body for the rigors of the grand race. Only properly conditioned leg muscles can absorb the impact of a 20 kilometer race. She has also to practice for walking without bending the legs. If the body is not conditioned to such a long race, it will exhaust when the time comes to deliver.
Top Performers
Women athletes who have performed well in the Olympics are Wang Liping, Kjersti Tysse Platzer, Maria Vasco, Liu Hongyu, Tamara Kovalenko, Irina Stankina, Olga Polyakova Irina Pudovkina, Tatyana Gudkova, Athanasia Tsoumeleka, Olimpiada Ivanova, and Jane Saville.
