Click any of the questions below to be taken directly to its answer.
The health and safety of USATF athletes is our top priority during this crisis.
1. Are the USATF sponsors okay with what’s going on? Everyone is affected by this. Our CEO, Max Siegel and the USATF executive leadership have been in touch with our partners. A large percentage of the contracts involve in venue signage, in venue announcements, in venue expo areas and television ad time. Those things aren’t available when events are cancelled. We will be creative in collaborating with our sponsors to “make good” where possible. This includes working with our broadcast partner to create programming. We hope contracts won’t be terminated because of the extraordinary circumstances, but we have to prepare for any outcome. Back to Top 2. How do we maintain a good or working relationship with sponsors, without losing funding? USATF is constantly in touch with our partners and regularly working on all those relationships. We keep doing that, we suggest you do the same.
It’s possible. What happens if they do? The reality of the situation is that we will face staff and programmatic cuts and have to make some tough, but necessary decisions on the business side for the sport to operate. As we evolve, we will tell you more. Back to Top 3. Will my sponsor continue to pay me if I am not competing because of this crisis? If not does USATF help? The short answer is that we do not know. In broad terms, we will encourage them to do so. As your federation, we will advocate on behalf of the athletes to make sure that athletes are supported and have the ability to be fitness ready for the Trials and the Games as scheduled. Remember, USATF isn’t privy to your individual athlete contracts, so we suggest you talk to your agents as soon as possible to work on a plan. Back to Top 4. Does my insurance cover doctor visits related to COVID 19? Yes, but **first, any athlete/individual who develops emergency warning signs of COVID-19 needs to seek immediate medical care, which may include calling 911, depending on your situation. Emergency warning signs can include:
Severe difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion or inability to arouse
Bluish lips or face
*Note: This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning. EAHI coverage will be subject to the same minimal co-pay and max out of pocket as any other medical care (for in-network—10% co-pay, $1500 max out of pocket—different if spouse or family also covered under same plan), In some locations, because of the national public health nature of this situation, tests and exams are not being billed. EAHI manual always available on Teamworks, and short videos describing how EAHI works available at scriptopro.com Highmark BCBS, the insurance provider for EAHI, has an excellent COVID-19 webpage, which includes an option to schedule a Telemedicine appointment. We believe this may be a reliable resource to send you to the appropriate hospital/clinic location, should it be recommended by the Telemedicine physician. Important to know that guidelines for who can be tested and the amount and type of care given may be different in each municipality, based on the degree of infection spread, demand for care, amount of resources, etc. These guidelines are often being modified daily. If any Tier/TPP athlete feels they have symptoms of COVID-19 (fever above 100.4F, cough, shortness of breath) , recommend to email Robert.Chapman@usatf.org or call him at 812 340 0691 or email covid19@usatf.org for guidance and help facilitating a call from a USATF or USOPC affiliated medical provider—an appropriate first step in diagnosis for mild to moderate symptoms with our current situation. Back to Top 5. My training options are very limited or don’t exist. What can I do? USATF is developing plans; here are few things we are working on and ideas we have to keep you training: USATF wants to encourage all athletes who are continuing to train to do so safely. Follow local guidance regarding sheltering in place. At a minimum, follow the USATF COVID-19 Working Group recommendations regarding safe training (click here to see guidance in section #1). We know that many states and/or local municipalities have placed restrictions on facilities where larger groups can gather, such as gyms and weight rooms (and we expect this restriction could go nationwide in the coming days.) This has created challenges for many of you to complete strength training during this time. To assist in bridging the gap between now and when restrictions are lifted and normal weight room access can occur, USATF and the USATF Foundation are partnering to allocate each Tier and TPP athlete $400 towards the purchase of simple, portable weight training equipment that you can use at home or at the track. While this cannot replicate the major equipment of a weight room, everyone is going to have to be creative and find new ways to train and maintain fitness during this crisis. Please note that this stipend is specifically for purchasing strength training equipment only. It cannot be used to reimburse costs of a gym membership, as current CDC and USOPC guidelines are to avoid utilizing those facilities at this time. If you are using a gym facility for strength training that is still open in your location, we urge you to stop until this crisis passes. Instructions on purchasing/reimbursents are available here. At this link, there is an eighteen minute video, prepared by USOPC staff, on guidelines for strength training in current climate and some suggested creative alternatives if no weight room is available. More content in this area will follow. Note the video was originally recorded for Para athletes, but the recommendations universally apply to able bodied athletes. USATF Regional Medical Providers and USATF staff are reaching out to all Tier/TPP athletes to determine their training facility access and weight room access. USATF is working with the USOPC to develop list of tracks by geographic area that are open. In addition, we are exerting pressure on the USOPC to encourage the NCAA to open tracks for limited hours and for limited numbers. Back to Top 6. The Olympics are postponed. Do our Trials become U.S. championships or remain Olympic Trials? Would we hope/plan to still have them? We want to hold the USATF Outdoor Championships this year since the Games are postponed, as long as they can be held in a safe manner for athletes, coaches, officials, and all involved. USATF has an advisory group actively working on contingency plans for a possible 2020 US Outdoor Championship. Any qualifying standard or procedures for a potential 2020 USATF Outdoor Championships would be determined. However, any contingency plans will be dependent on the timing, spread, and containment of the COVID-19 virus, which is continuing to evolve. Back to Top
7. Are the Olympic Trials happening? Now that the dates for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 have been determined, the USOPC, USATF and the local organizing committee are discussing the best dates to hold the Olympic Trials. Back to Top
8. Now that the Olympics have been postponed to 2021, how will the 2021 Tier / TPP criteria be determined? Note that if you are currently qualified for Tier benefits in 2020, those will not change. The 2020 Tier & TPP Criteria can be found here. In short, if you are an athlete who is currently qualified for 2020 Tier Athlete benefits, you will not be impacted, because qualification was determined at the end of 2019. Tier criteria for 2021 is being discussed with the appropriate sport chairs and the AAC. Once we have finality on any potential 2020 outdoor track & field season, the current situation will be taken into account by the High Performance Division’s Executive Committee and National Office staff in defining qualifying criteria for 2021. Back to Top
9. What does this (the postponement of the 2020 Games) mean for the 2021 World Athletics Championships? The dates for the 2021 World Athletics Championships have been moved to July 15-24, 2022. Back to Top 10. Will I be drug tested during this crisis? You may be. New USADA updates on out-of-competition testing protocols are available here. *Note: During this time, athletes in the testing pool should continue to update their whereabouts. Out of competition testing around the world remains stringent. Back to Top 11. What does the suspension of the qualifying period from April 6-December 1, 2020 by World Athletics mean? What is the amended qualifying window for the Tokyo Olympic Games? The suspension of the qualifying period from April 6 – December 1, 2020 means that during this period, results achieved at any competition will not be considered for Tokyo 2020 entry standards or world rankings, the publication of which will also be suspended as established by World Athletics. Athletes who have already met the entry standard since the start of the qualification period which has been set back to either December 2018, January 2019, or June, 2019 according to the chart below, remain qualified and will be eligible for selection together with the other athletes who will qualify within the extended qualification period. The end of the Olympic qualification period is May 31, 2021 (for 50km race walk and marathons) and June 29, 2021 for all other events. Overall duration of the qualification period Qualification starting dates for entry standards and world rankings remain unchanged with many athletes already qualified by meeting the entry standards during 2019. With the qualification period from December 1, 2020 to May 31, 2021 (or June 29, 2021 depending on the event) the eligible qualification period (taking into account the eight-month suspension period) is longer than the original period by an additional four months. See summary below:
Back to Top 12. What happens to World Rankings? At this time, World Athletics has not released any information about how the World Rankings system may or may not be modified based on the delay / loss of the 2020 competitive season. Back to Top 13. Will marks achieved in sanctioned events during April 6 - Nov 30, 2020 count for qualifying for 2021 Toyota USATF Indoor Champs and/or U.S. Olympic Trials – Track & Field? After receiving numerous requests by athletes, coaches and agents, by decision of the sport committee chairs, USATF will accept marks from USATF sanctioned events during the period of April 6-November 30, 2020 for qualification at the 2021 Toyota USATF Indoor Championships and 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials – Track and Field. Back to Top
USATF encourages all of our athletes to be safe and to make good decisions. For additional information and regular updates go to www.usatf.org/COVID19.