World Athletics’ focus on innovation makes strides with test events in Düsseldorf and Berlin
As part of World Athletics’ focus on innovation, a key pillar of its four-year strategic plan Pioneering Change (2024-2027), the long jump take-off zone was recently tested during World Athletics Indoor Tour competition for the first time.
Sport development is important to ensure relevance, entertainment and excitement continue to drive competitions by using new technology, processes, systems, research and data to enhance the appeal and impact of competitions across the globe.
A take-off zone for horizontal jumps is among a raft of innovations being developed and tested, with the concept having formed part of the competition programme at the ISTAF Indoor Düsseldorf meeting on 9 February and the ISTAF Indoor 2025 meeting in Berlin on 14 February.
While full reports are being compiled, early feedback indicates that the take-off zone test had a clear impact on competition flow and spectator experience. Across both events, fouls dropped to 13% from a historical average of 32%, and is likely to decrease further as athletes prepare and train for this new configuration.
Spectator surveys showed an overall preference for the take-off zone in future competitions. The divide, however, was striking: more than two-thirds of casual fans favoured the innovation, while those actively involved in the sport leaned just as strongly towards the traditional board. Continued testing will provide additional insights into the preferences of various stakeholder groups.
“I’m excited to share my experience with the take-off zone at the ISTAF meeting,” said two-time world long jump champion Malaika Mihambo, who won in Düsseldorf with a 6.87m leap.
“As a long jumper, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the difference wasn’t as significant as I had expected. This experience reinforced my understanding that long jump is about much more than just hitting the board.
“I appreciate the concept of utilising the entire board, as it enhances momentum and provides better feedback while allowing me to choose my own take-off point. However, this approach also makes it more challenging for both athletes and spectators to estimate distances.
“Clearly, the system still needs refinement to truly outperform the traditional method. The key question remains: How can we make horizontal jumps safer for athletes while also making them more engaging for spectators, both in the stadium and at home?
“Of course, there is still room for improvement—but that’s exactly what a pilot programme is for: testing new ideas. It will take several iterations to find the optimal solution, and I’m open to exploring different concepts along the way.”
Early data suggests the take-off zone delivers the expected 10-centimetre improvement in distances. The tests also provided clear indications of athletes adjusting run-up strategy. With both events also measuring jumps by traditional rules, the foul rate according to traditional rules hit 66% – a high number under normal conditions. This suggests athletes are adopting a high-risk strategy, knowing the risk of fouling is lower.
“World Athletics is putting innovation at the forefront of its 2025 strategic agenda, and the take-off zone is just one of the many innovations we are developing and testing,” said World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon. “Tests like this will help to determine which potential innovations make it into further implementation, and they are a good opportunity to get feedback from athletes and fans, so we are pleased to be able to share this first round of updates.
“As the global governing body of our sport, we must be forward-thinking and constantly look to adapt to our changing audiences and the way our fans prefer to view and interact with our sport. However, we have always said that nothing will be implemented without thorough testing, and taking into account the feedback of our athletes, coaches and fans. Through these potential innovations, we want to find solutions that address challenges that our spectator research has identified and make a positive impact on our sport.”
The take-off zone for horizontal jumps is just one in a series of innovations being tested as part of World Athletics’ four-year business strategy.
Other innovations at both the macro and micro level of the sport include the launch of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in 2026, reconfiguration of the summer season and insights-driven timetable principles, as well as instant results, new events such as the mixed 4x100m relay and steeplechase mile, fan predictions, and combined events consultation.
