From 1 April 2026, the age groups in which young athletes compete under UKA rules will change from U13, U15, U17 and U20, as is currently the case, to U14, U16, U18 and U20. These changes are grounded in a desire to support athletes with their progression through the sport, to help grow participant numbers and to retain more young participants in the sport.
Sitting outside of the formal rules of competition, primary school-aged athletes will be encouraged to compete in U10 and U12 age groups in competitions that will utilise multi-event based run, jump, and throw formats, such as funetics multi-challenge.
Why were these changes proposed?
The objectives of the age group changes are to:
Simplify age group dates for all disciplines
Support athletes in their long-term development
Retain and recruit more young people in athletics
Provide a clear, simplified pathway for all areas of the sport, from U10s – Seniors
Provide better gradual progression for all athletics events
And in creating an additional age group, better support age and stage appropriate competition formats & events
For more information, please see here.
