In order for a mark(s) from a meet or single event to be accepted for qualifying for the USATF Indoor Championships AND for USATF to be able to verify to World Athletics and various track and field ranking agencies the validity of the mark(s) for World Athletics Championships qualifying purposes, the following criteria apply:
*Note: Meets that are last-chance in nature, or not on an organization’s calendar of events, must be reported to USATF at duffy.mahoney@usatf.org or 317-713-4673 no later than three full weeks from the first day/date of competition of those Championships. Doing so will permit the USATF staff member, as designated by the Sports Committee Chairs, to review the proposed meet/event. If the meet/event were to be approved, this would allow for sufficient time to disseminate meet information to as many interested competitors as possible. Failure to adhere to this protocol will likely result in the performance(s) being disallowed for qualifying purposes.
Once properly entered, all athletes must complete the declaration process. In this process, you will:
Each athlete or his/her representative must declare whether that athlete will or will not compete in each event they have entered.
*Note: All Entrants should declare during the declaration period. This helps the seeding committee make decisions on “Accepting” marks that do not meet the qualifying standard for the purpose of filling the field for each event.
*Note: USATF Rule 11.3(b) concerning adding athletes to make a competitive field, and USATF Rule 8 concerning automatic qualifications, will be used.
*Note: The password that is tied to an athlete’s USATF membership is no longer valid to log in to complete an entry/registration or to log back in to update marks, affiliations, and credential information for an entry/registration. After the entry/registration is completed, a confirmation email will be sent to the email address on file under the athlete's USATF Connect profile. This email will contain the password to log back into the entry/registration to update (affiliations, credentials, marks). The password is located under the heading "Managing Your Registration." This email confirmation with password is only sent to the email address that’s on file under the athlete's USATF Connect profile. Even though the entry system gives you the option to send a receipt/confirmation to an alternate email address, the password will only be sent to the email address on file under the athlete's USATF Connect profile. AFFILIATION UPDATES MAY BE MADE UP UNTIL CLOSE OF ENTRIES: Monday, 1/24/2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET
Only citizens of the United States who are eligible to represent the U.S. in all levels of international competition are eligible to compete in Championship events. Dual citizens and naturalized citizens, please take note.
All athletes must be 2022 members of USATF in good standing. USATF memberships may be purchased online or through your local Association Office. Athletes must be bona fide members of a 2022 USATF club in order to represent a club. An athlete's current club affiliation can be viewed in his/her member profile and as part of the online entry process. Athletes wishing to change affiliations can make such a request through their local USATF Association (note that this request must be made by the athlete - see Regulation 7 in the USATF Governance Manual, Section III). All club affiliations must be finalized by close of declarations (Tuesday, January 25, 2022). No club changes will be accepted after this date for the USATF Indoor Championships. In addition to a club affiliation, athletes are able to represent one (1) corporate sponsor. This corporate sponsor must be a registered USATF Corporate Member and be part of the athlete's member profile. Corporate Membership applications can be obtained by sending an e-mail to membership@usatf.org. *Note: All sponsor affiliations must be finalized by close of declarations. No sponsor changes will be accepted after this date for the Indoor Championships. Athletes wishing to represent a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States must be registered with the membership committee of their local USATF Association.
An allocation of funds will be provided to the top four (4) ranked indoor performers based on the 2022 U.S. Indoor List of marks achieved from November 12, 2021 – January 15, 2022 (qualifying deadline). Please note the qualifying window to achieve marks is not the same as the qualifying period for travel funding.
For these allocations, funds will be awarded to the top ranked athletes in the distances/disciplines being contested at the Championships and NOT FOR TIMES OR DISTANCES ACHIEVED IN ALTERNATE QUALIFYING DISTANCES/TIMES (i.e. rank in the 3000m RW, but not the Mile or 5000m). In order to be eligible for the USATF Indoor Championships travel allocations, an athlete must be a current USATF member in good standing; must have entered and achieved a qualifying mark between November 12, 2021 – January 15, 2022 (qualifying deadline); and must be a citizen of the United States of America who is eligible to represent the U.S. in international competition. Dual Citizens and naturalized citizens, please take note.
In addition to the payments as described above, an allocation of funds will be provided to those athletes who were not allocated funding prior to the USATF 3000m Race Walk Championships but who place in the top three (3) in at the 2022 USATF 3000m Race Walk Championships.
An allocation of funds in the amount of $1,000 will be provided to athletes in each event who meet the funding criteria above. Athletes will only be eligible to receive travel funding if they are entered and declared by the respective deadlines. Athletes must compete in the USATF 3000m Race Walk Championships to receive travel funding. Athletes who qualify for travel funding before the event will receive funds prior to the start of the event but must return the funds if they ultimately do not compete at the Championships.
Please be aware that travel funding payments will be reported to the IRS as reportable income and is subject to federal, state, and local income tax. Since no taxes are being withheld by USATF, you may have a tax liability at the time you file your tax return and you may want to consider setting aside some funds for this purpose. If the amount of reportable income including all stipends, prize money, etc. is $600 or more cumulative during a tax year, USATF will issue a 1099 MISC. Receipts for travel may qualify for deductions against this reported income. Please contact a tax advisor for further information. USATF is not offering tax advice, but recipients of USATF funding and benefits are advised to retain their own tax professionals to receive guidance regarding tax implications.
A Gold Medal, emblematic of the Championships of the United States of America, will be given to the winner of each Championship event, a Silver Medal to second place, and Bronze Medals to both third and fourth places.
For the 2022 USATF Men's and Women’s Indoor 3000m Race Walk Championships, USATF will pay prize money to the first through fifth place finishers in each Championship event. The prize structure is as follows: