Here are some changes to look out for at the big global event on March 20-22.
Last fall, World Athletics approved a number of changes to the staging of athletics indoor events that were in place this season and will be introduced during the World Indoor Championships.
400m new format
In an attempt to achieve fairer conditions, each 400m heat will now feature only four athletes, placed in zones three to six. Routes 1 and 2, considered unfavorable due to tight bends and banks, will remain empty. The 400m final will change from a single heat of six athletes to two separate heats of four athletes, with medals decided by the fastest overall times.
800 m break point
The particularly difficult part of the indoor 800m, the point where the athletes step out into the infield, no longer occurs after the first bend, but after the second, about 165m, the same break point used in the 400m. This is done to give the field more space before the battle for positions, reducing collisions, pushes and landings in the early stages of the race.
The medley is a 4x400m relay race
The 4x400m medley relay, which made its debut at the European Indoor Championships last year, will make its first appearance at the 2026 World Indoor Championships. It will feature a man-woman-man-woman mandatory run order.
Changed
In the 4×400 m relay, the order of the teams for the next legs is no longer determined in the old base. instead it depends on the position they are in when they cross the finish line to start the final lap, which is equivalent to a 200m split. From that point, the teams line up inside out in the order of the race, a process overseen by a designated official.
The drop is not fatal
A passed club no longer results in an automatic disqualification. Athletes are no longer required to pick it up from the exact spot where it fell, provided they do not gain any advantage or disturb others, and the possibility of a sanction remains if the referees find that the fall resulted in a sporting benefit to the team.
