Pole vault project complete, ASTM announces
ASTM (the American Society for Testing and Materials) International has completed a project to develop a new standard governing safety in pole vaulting.
It launched the project in 2023. Its sports equipment, playing surfaces, and facilities committee developed the new standard.
The new standard, ASTM F3711/F3711M-24, establishes safety, performance, and maintenance recommendations for indoor, outdoor, and private-use pole-vault facilities.
According to ASTM member Andrew Amsden, the new standard will help to create general guidelines for aspects that differ between high school, college, and international rule books for pole-vaulting, such as the allowance of mid-marks and take-off-marks on the runway.
“Rule books govern the competition aspect of pole vaulting,” Mr Amsden said. “This standard addresses the playing space and how to keep the athletes and equipment safe.”
Ensuring that the space around an athlete is clear of people who could be injured and objects, such as chairs, that could damage fragile fibreglass poles, is an essential aspect of the standard.
Equipment manufacturers will have clearer parameters for creating new equipment. An example of the detail the new standard includes are guidelines for the height of stoppers that keep landing mats from shifting backward over time.
Image: Puma.
