Last Update:
030624

Part One: General Notes on Upgrading Criteria

1. One event credit received for time worked at an event up to and including 4 hours.
Two event credits received for time worked at an event between 4 hours and 8 hours.
Three event credits received for time worked at an event in excess of 8 hours.
In all cases, only three credits per day may be claimed.

2. Credits are valid for 5 years and can be used only once. When a promotion is granted, the credits earned prior to the date of promotion can no longer be used, with the exception of "national championships" credits that have not been used previously.

3. Officials can use only one event credit per 4 hour period. If an official has worked at more than one event, he decides which credit he wants to use. The only exception to this rule is for Race Walk Judges, who can claim their race walk credit and one other credit within the 4-hour period.

4. Generally, only one official per group may earn a credit as "chief" within a period of 4 hours. However, in a group of officials covering different events within the discipline (e.g. shot put and javelin) where the "chief" position has been rotated, all the members who have been chief may claim a credit as chief within the 4 hour period, provided each "chief" performs all the duties that are normally the responsibility of the chief. In practice, this means that only one starter may claim a "chief" credit in any one session.

5. Credits can be earned outside of Canada, as long as support documentation is supplied by the official. Support documentation should include a copy of the program, a copy of the schedule, and the signature of the official in charge or of the Meet Director. The official signing must be a recognized official.

6. An official should officiate a minimum of 8 event credits per year to maintain active status. Officials acting as evaluators/mentors may count that time as "credits" for the purpose of maintaining "active" status.

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1. There are four types of meets for the purpose of upgrading:

1. Regional meets, which are small area meets that can be used for upgrading to the provincial level only. These meets will not be accepted on requests for upgrading for levels 4 and 5. An example would be a local all-comers meet organized by the club where 3 to 5 entries per event are the average.
2. Provincial meets, which are meets large enough to have chiefs of events and referees, or to involve different regions of a province. Examples are: large all-comers meets, school provincial championships, provincial summer games.
   Note: all non-sanctioned meets can be used for provincial upgrading at the discretion of the Branch. They will not be considered for Level 4 and 5.
3. "National" meets, which are designated as such each year at the annual meeting of the National Officials’ Committee and the branch chairs.
4. "National Championships", which include Canadian Senior Championships, Canadian Junior Championships, Canada Games and other events designated as such each year at the annual meeting of the National Officials’ Committee and the branch chairs.

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1. All officials must hold a valid Athletics Canada membership to maintain their status on a Provincial or National List; as a level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 official; or as an N.T.O., A.T.O. or I.T.O. .

2. Officials are generalists when they are Provisional, Level 1 and Level 2. Specialization starts when applying for Level 3.

3. All Level 3, 4, and 5 officials should take a clinic every three years in each of their disciplines to remain current on new rules and interpretations.

4. Officials immigrating to Canada will be considered by NOC for Level 4, providing that their experience in the officiating discipline is similar to what is required from Level 4 Canadian officials.

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1. In upgrading requests, at least 40% of the credits listed must be from outdoor events. This is to guarantee that the official has at least some exposure to the effect of the natural elements on the conduct of a meet. It is recommended that officials applying for Level 4 and 5 include at least one indoor credit, to indicate experience with the unique conditions that indoor events provide.

2. Up to 50% of outdoor credits and 50% of indoor credits used for upgrading purposes can be from competitions for the disabled.

3. When applying for the Level 4 or 5, a candidate must be evaluated for all the events within the discipline. It is recommended that this be the case for promotion to Level 3 as well.

4. All applications for Level 4 and 5 must first be sent to the Branch by the official be processed. "Processed" means verifying that all the documentation is complete and accurate. Requests for upgrading must be signed by the Branch Chair and by one other registered official from the Branch. All complete applications meeting the criteria must be sent to NOC. Recommendations from the Branch are always welcomed.

Note - incomplete applications will be returned to the applicants and will not be considered again until received complete.

5. Requests for upgrading for Level 4 and 5 must be postmarked or "fax dated" no later than March 31 for Spring upgrading, or September 30 for Fall upgrading. Requests which are not so dated will be returned to the Branches.

6. There is no waiting period required when applying for upgrades in two disciplines when one is required to get the other, providing that the criteria for both are met. For example, requests for Chief Finish Line Judge 4 and Track Referee 3 can be submitted at the same time, providing that the criteria for both are met.

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1. When a new discipline is added to the Directory, the following procedure will be followed:

1. Criteria for the discipline will be established
2. "Grandfathering" will take place up to and including Level 4 or National List

2. Canadian NTOs, ATOs and ITOs may act as evaluators/mentors for any discipline after attending a national mentor training session.

3. Officials are automatically added to the Jury of Appeal National List when they become National technical officials (NTOs).

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Part Two: UPGRADING CRITERIA

All officials requesting upgrading must hold a valid Athletics Canada membership.

I. Provincial Requirements for Judges (Levels 1, 2 and 3)

Branches have been delegated the responsibility of administering the Upgrading Criteria for levels 1 through 3. The criteria in sections A, B and C are recommended minimum requirements.

A. To be promoted from Provisional to Level 1, an official must:

1. have 6 event credits, preferably in more than one discipline;
2. have attended a brief introductory clinic.

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B. To be promoted from Level 1 to Level 2, an official must:

1. have 12 event credits, 6 in track and 6 in field, since upgrading to Level 1;
2. have completed 6 months of service as a Level 1 official;
3. have attended a comprehensive track and field rules clinic;
4. have received a mentoring report from his/her chief.

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C. To be promoted from Level 2 to Level 3, an official must:

1. have 16 event credits in the discipline for which the upgrading is requested since upgrading to Level 2,
   1. 4 of which must be provincial or above, and
   2. 8 of which must be as Chief, Assistant Chief or Section Head
2. have written the entire National open book exam and obtained a mark of at least 80%;
3. have completed at least one year of service as a Level 2 official;
4. have received two mentoring reports, using the Provincial Mentoring Report Form provided in Appendix Two or similar form, done by:
   1. officials Level 3 or above in the discipline requested, or
   2. Referees covering the discipline, or
   3. an NTO, ATO or ITO;
5. have sent a Request for Upgrading to the branch officials’ committee for review and approval.

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II. National Requirements for Judges (Levels 4 and 5)

A. Common Requirements: All officials requesting upgrading to levels 4 or 5 must:

1. have been certified, in writing, as a competent official by two mentors on the NOC Mentoring Report Form. It is recommended that one of the mentors be from out of province, that the mentors be different from those used for the previous upgrading and that one part of each mentoring session the official work as chief. The two reports must be completed by mentors who were on the NOC Mentor list current at the time of the mentoring session and who were listed in the discipline requested. For Level 4, one of the meets at which the mentorings take place must be of "national" or "national championship" designation. For Level 5, both of the meets at which the mentoring sessions take place must be of "national" or "national championship" designation.
2. have submitted a Request for Upgrading, complete with the two reports and a list of the necessary credits, to the branch officials’ committee for processing. The B.O.C. will in turn review the forms for accuracy and completeness, and then forward the request to the N.O.C. Vice-Chair Directory and Upgrading, with a recommendation. The N.O.C. will then review the request, and either approve it or reject it. The applicant and the branch will be informed, in writing, of the result.

Note: incomplete applications will be returned to the applicants and will not be considered again until received complete

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B. To be promoted from Level 3 to Level 4, an official must:

1. have a minimum of 24 event credits accumulated in the discipline requested since the last upgrading in this discipline,
   1. 8 of which must be from "national" or "national championship" meets, and
   2. all 24 of which must be as Chief, Assistant Chief, or Section Head, and
   3. 12 of which must be as Chief and
   4. 8 of which must be obtained after having attended the National Clinic;
2. have at least two years of service in the discipline requested, since the last upgrading in this discipline;
3. have taken a National Clinic in the discipline, and satisfactorily completed the corresponding assignment;

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C. To be promoted from Level 4 to Level 5, an official must:

1. have a minimum of 36 event credits accumulated in the discipline requested since obtaining Level 4. The credits must meet the following criteria:
   1. 4 credits must be from "national championship" meets,
   2. another 8 credits must be from "national" meets or above.
   3. all credits listed must be as Chief, Assistant-Chief or Section Head in the discipline requested, unless the application is for Referee, in which case all the credits listed must be as Referee or Assistant-Referee, and
   4. 18 credits must be as Chief;
2. have at least 3 years of service since obtaining Level 4 in the discipline requested.

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Successive Upgrading:

Applicants for Judge Level 4 (or 5) who are already qualified at that level in another discipline may waive the time requirement as listed section B.2. (or C.2.) above.

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III. Referees (Levels 3, 4 and 5)

Referees shall progress from level 3 to level 4 to level 5 in each discipline.

A1. To be promoted to Level 3 Track Referee, an official must:

1. be at least a Level 3 Umpire and have at least one Level 3 as Timekeeper or Finish Line Judge or be on the Photo Finish Provincial list;
2. be at least a Level 4 in any Track discipline (may be one of the above);
3. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 3, as described in section I.C, except for I.C.2 and I.C.3.

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A2. To be promoted to Level 4 Track Referee, an official must:

1. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 4, as described in section II.

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A3. To be promoted to Level 5 Track Referee, an official must:

1. be at least a Level 5 in any Track discipline;
2. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 5, as described in section II.

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B1. To be promoted to Level 3 Field Referee Jumps, an official must:

1. be at least a Level 4 in either Horizontal or Vertical Jumps, and be a Level 3 in the other;
2. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 3, as described in section I.C, except for I.C.2 and I.C.3. The credits listed must reflect that the candidate has acted as a referee in each of the 4 jumps at least twice.

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B2. To be promoted to Level 4 Field Referee Jumps, an official must:

1. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 4 as described in section II. The credits listed must reflect that the candidate has acted as a referee in each of the 4 jumps at least 3 times.

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B3. To be promoted to Level 5 Field Referee Jumps, an official must:

1. be at least a Level 5 in either Horizontal or Vertical Jumps, and be a Level 4 in the other;
2. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 5 as described in section II. The credits listed must reflect that the candidate has acted as a referee in each of the 4 jumps at least 4 times.

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C1. To be promoted to Level 3 Field Referee Throws, an official must:

1. be at least a Level 4 Throws Judge;
2. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 3, as described in section I.C, except for I.C.2 and I.C.3. The credits listed must reflect that the candidate has acted as a referee in each of the 4 throws at least twice.

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C2. To be promoted to Level 4 Field Referee Throws, an official must:

1. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 4 as described in section II. The credits listed must reflect that the candidate has acted as a referee in each of the 4 throws at least 3 times.

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C3. To be promoted to Level 5 Field Referee Throws, an official must:

1. be at least a Level 5 Throws Judge;
2. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 5, as described in section II. The credits listed must reflect that the candidate has acted as a referee in each of the 4 throws at least 4 times.

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D1. To be promoted to Level 3 Combined Events Referee, an official must:

1. have a Level 3 rating as a track official and as a Field Referee, or have a Level 3 rating as a field official and as a Track Referee;
2. have worked at least 6 combined events (not 6 event credits), all as a Combined Events Referee or Assistant C.E. Referee (4 of the combined events must be pentathlon or higher);
3. have received one mentoring report from a Combined Events Referee, and one from another Combined Events Referee, or from a member of the National list of Jury of Appeal, or from an NTO, ATO or ITO;
4. have sent a Request for Upgrading to the branch officials’ committee for review and approval.

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D2. To be promoted to Level 4 Combined Events Referee, an official must:

1. since last upgrading, have worked as a Combined Events Referee or Assistant C.E. Referee in at least 9 combined events (not 9 event credits), all pentathlon or higher, 3 of which must have been at "national" or "national championship" meets, as defined by NOC;
2. have received one mentoring report from a Level 4 or 5 Combined Events Referee, and one from another Level 4 or 5 Combined Events Referee, or from a member of the National list of Jury of Appeal, or from an NTO, ATO or ITO.

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D3. To be promoted to Level 5 Combined Events Referee, an official must:

1. since last upgrading, have worked as a Combined Events Referee or Assistant C.E. Referee in at least 12 combined events (not 12 event credits), all pentathlon or higher, 4 of which must have been at "national championship" meets, and 4 of which must have been at "national" meets or above, as defined by NOC;
2. have received one mentoring report from a Level 5 Combined Events Referee, and one from another Level 5 Combined Events Referee, or from a member of the National list of Jury of Appeal, or from an NTO, ATO or ITO;

Note: for upgrading purposes, combined events below a pentathlon count as a half event only

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IV. Special Categories (Levels 3, 4, 5 Photo Finish, Walk Judge and NTO)

A1. To be promoted to Level 3 Photo-Finish Chief Judge, an official must:

1. be on the Photo-Finish National list;
2. have a good understanding of computer files and networking;
3. be able to determine if camera equipment (one or two cameras) is properly aligned;
4. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 3, as described in section I.C, except for I.C.2 and I.C.3.

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A2. To be promoted to Level 4 Photo-Finish Chief Judge, an official must:

1. have attended a National clinic on the technicalities of photo-finish, given by a clinician on the NOC list of certified clinicians;
2. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 4, as described in section II.

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A3. To be promoted to Level 5 Photo-Finish Chief Judge, an official must:

1. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 5, as described in section II.

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B1. To be promoted to Level 3 Race Walk Judge, an official must:

1. have worked 12 event credits as Race Walk Judge,
   1. 4 of which must be from Provincial meets or above, as defined by NOC, and
   2. 6 of which must be as Chief Judge (they can be the same credits);
2. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 3, as described in section I.C, except I.C.1.

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B2. To be promoted to Level 4 Race Walk Judge, an official must:

1. have worked a minimum of 16 event credits since last upgrading,
   8 as Chief Judge; and
   1. 8 of the 16 credits must be from "national" meets as defined by NOC;
2. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 4, as described in section II, except for II.B.1.

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B3. To be promoted to Level 5 Race Walk Judge, an official must:

1. have worked a minimum of 24 event credits since the last upgrading, all as Chief Judge,
   1. 4 of which must be from "national championship" meets, and
   2. another 8 of which must be from "national" meets or above;
2. have received two mentoring sessions from Level 5 Race Walk Judges appearing on the NOC mentor list or from members of the International Race Walk Panel of the I.A.A.F.;
3. follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 5, as described in section II, except for II.C.1.

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C1. To be promoted to NTO, an official must:

1. be a Level 5 referee;
2. successfully pass the NTO written exam.

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V. Provincial and National Lists

A. Common Requirements

1. All officials requesting placement on a Provincial or National List must hold a valid Athletics Canada membership.
2. To be placed on a Provincial List an official must follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 3, as described in section I.C., except part 1.b)
3. To be placed on a National List an official must follow the standard upgrading criteria for Level 4, as described in section II.A. and II.B., except II.B.1 b) and c)
4. A clinic is required only for Photo Finish National List.
5. Mentors/evaluators used for categories C – F below, if not on the National Mentor List, must be listed at the National level of the discipline being evaluated.

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B1. To be listed on the Photo-Finish Provincial List, an official must:

1. have a good understanding of hand timing;
2. have a good understanding of computer files;
3. be able to determine if the camera equipment is properly aligned;

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B2. To be listed on the Photo-Finish National List, an official must:

1. be able to set up a results room at a national meet;
2. have a good understanding of networking;
3. have attended a clinic on Photo-Finish operation given by a clinician on the NOC list of certified clinicians.

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C1. To be listed as Jury of Appeal on the Provincial List, an official must be at least Level 3 Referee.

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C2. To be listed as Jury of Appeal on the National List, an official must be at least a Level 4 Referee.

Note: National Technical Officials will be automatically added to the National Jury list.

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D1. To be listed as an Announcer on the Provincial List, an official must:

1. have a good understanding of track and field protocols as they relate to announcing (eg. lane introductions, track/field starting procedures, advancement to finals).

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D2. To be listed as an Announcer on the National List, an official must:

1. have an understanding of meet organization and the key role of the announcer in the presentation of the meet;
2. be familiar with meet, national and world records for all events.

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E1. To be listed as a Competition Secretary on the Provincial List, an official must:

1. have a good understanding of track and field competition entry requirements and start list/result preparation, distribution and archiving. This includes an understanding of the I.A.A.F. rules for event scheduling, preliminary rounds organization and advancement to finals.

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E2. To be listed as a Competition Secretary on the National List, an official must:

1. have a good understanding of the office organization and requirements for a national championship;
2. be able to set up and oversee the competition office for a national championship.

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F1. To be listed as a Technical Manager on the Provincial List, an official must:

1. have a good understanding of track and field technical specifications as outlined in the I.A.A.F. Handbook. This includes all site measurements and implement weights and measures for both track and field events and an understanding of how to accurately determine if the implements comply with the rules.

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F2. To be listed as a Technical Manager on the National List, an official must:

1. have a good understanding of the technical requirements for a national championship;
2. be able to oversee and direct the set up of all technical aspects for a national championship.

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Appendix 1: Guidelines for N/NC Designation

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Appendix 2: Provincial Mentoring-Upgrading Form Report

Mentoring Guidelines and Reporting Procedures for Levels 1, 2 and 3

Mentors are an important key in the upgrading process. The mentoring session is designed to assess the official's knowledge and the official's ability to react correctly to various situations.

AS THE MENTOR:

• Make it a co-operative, communicative, win-win process. Engage in active listening.
• Accommodate the performer. Schedule the mentoring session to provide lots of time and, as much as possible, at their convenience. Prepare for the session, don't plan the mentoring session as it is happening.
• Performers should know, through their measures and standards, how they are doing. Don't let there be any surprises.
• Discuss performances, not niceties. Be honest and specific with the performer. Offer praise and suggestions for change. Never attack.
• Help performers to exploit strengths and correct weaknesses. Less-than-expected performance should already have been addressed.
• Make specific commitment to assist the performer in upcoming meets, in terms of performance opportunities and development goals.
• Encourage performer to discuss performance or development issues with you at any time.

AS THE OFFICIAL BEING ASSESSED:

• Discuss performance, results, not activities.
• Be ready to discuss your performance in relation to your position (performance expectations).
• Be prepared. Complete your portion of the appraisal form before the mentoring session.
• Be honest with yourself.
• Make a commitment to specific personal development in the upcoming year.
• Feel free to approach the mentor to discuss your performance and development.

PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

How to get people (athletes, coaches, officials, spectators) to start doing something, stop doing something, or continue doing something are all performance improvement questions.

As a Judge:

• Are you communicating with integrity to ensure no mixed messages are being sent?
• Are you listening for the needs of the athlete?
• Are you responding to those needs in a fair and flexible way?
• Have you set clear and understandable goals?

As a Chief:

• Have you agreed upon roles and procedures for the members within the team?
• Are you providing ongoing performance feedback to the team, relative to the targets that were set?
• Are you providing opportunities for team officials to make their own decisions?
• Are you rewarding positive behaviour by individual team members for a job well done?
• Is the job assigned to team members designed to be challenging relative to abilities?

MENTOR GUIDELINES:

All mentoring sessions must be discussed with the official involved (before, during and after the session) and the written copy handed to him/her for safekeeping. An assessment is to reflect the position over the period of the meet or even many meets, if possible, not just one event.

MENTORING GUIDELINES:

• observations over the entire meet, not just one session or event.
• Note that Part III relates to chiefing an event and is for Level 3 applicants only.
• It is in the official's best interest to be completely honest. Do not waffle; the official can (or cannot) do the job.
• If you indicate that there are areas needing improvement, you MUST make comments in such a way that the official can understand the problem and work toward improvement.
• Make sure the form is signed, and that your opinions are discussed with the official who signs and indicates agreement or disagreement. Return the signed form to the official.

Download a copy of the Provincial Mentoring-Upgrading Form

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Appendix 3: National Mentoring Form

INTRODUCTION:

The purpose of the mentoring program for Athletics Canada National Officials’ Committee is:

• to foster continuous improvement in a competency-based model for officials and
• to ensure officials apply the rules of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) in a fair, consistent and positive manner so that athletes have optimum competition conditions.

The purpose of this mentoring-upgrading report form is to lay the foundation for supporting continuous improvement of officials in Canada through a comprehensive program of mentoring within a "developmental" philosophy. The philosophy is one of encouragement through mentoring and upgrading, which focuses on a competency-based model for officials’ development.

OFFICIALS’ COMPETENCIES (essential competencies of officials at level IV and V)

1. Demonstrating leadership and the ability to manage team performance
2. Demonstrating an understanding of the rules
3. Demonstrating an ability to communicate effectively
4. Demonstrating an ability to adapt to changing conditions
5. Demonstrating abilities in event specific techniques

MENTORING-UPGRADING GUIDELINES

This Mentoring-Upgrading form is:

• An important part of the upgrading process.
• Designed to ensure that an official has the knowledge and ability to react correctly to various situations.

As the Mentor:

• Your role is to assess how well the official meets the five (5) competencies.
• You should be thorough, objective, encouraging and supportive to the official being assessed.
• You must prepare in advance and discuss with the official the mentoring-upgrading process, forms, how you are going to observe performance, and how and when you will mentor.
• You should offer praise and suggestions for change (as a mentor).
• You should provide effective feedback.
• You must plan sufficient time to discuss the mentoring-upgrading report form when completed.
• You should make the process co-operative, communicative and focused on a win-win.
• You must engage in active and respectful listening.
• You must be honest and specific with the official.
• You must help the official to build his/her strengths and correct weaknesses.
• You should, where appropriate, make a specific commitment to assist the official in upcoming meets, in terms of performance opportunities and development goals.

Download a copy of the National Mentoring-Upgrading Form.

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Appendix 4: List of Officiating Disciplines

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