An Evaluation of the Decision by World Athletics on Whether or Not to Ban the Nike Vapor Fly Racing Shoe in 2020

Abstract

Nike developed the VaporFly 4% racing shoe as part of the 2017 Breaking-2 Project. The designation of 4% within the VaporFly name, as well as results from elite and recreational runners, indicate that the shoe provides a conferred advantage of 4% in race settings over leading competitor brands (Reynolds 2018). Mounting evidence suggests that there is validity to this claim and that it is more than just a marketing gimmick intended to create hype and boost sales. Since October of 2019, World Athletics has been rumoured to be drafting legislation to limit specifications of racing shoes (Francis 2019) in order to mitigate any advantage the VaporFly may provide to athletes. An official ruling came down from World Athletics on 31 January 2020 that amends the rules for governing competition shoes for elite athletes (World Athletics 2020). The rule change addresses aspects of the VaporFly technology and aims to clear up future issues on racing shoe specifications. In this intervention we highlight important factors that World Athletics considered in its decision and how the ruling will impact athletics.

Keywords

• World Athletics
• racing shoe
• regulations
• Vaporfly
• marathon
• running