World Athletics makes a call on Nike’s controversial Vaporfly shoe

World Athletics has made a ruling on Nike’s divisive Vaporfly after it made headlines last year amid criticism it was “no longer a shoe”.

Nike’s revolutionary shoe has been cleared after speculation it may have been banned.

World Athletics cleared distance runners to keep wearing a favoured Nike design even though it acknowledged shoe technology poses a risk to the sport.

The governing body published updated guidelines which limited the use of prototype shoes like the hi-tech Nike style worn in a sub-two hour marathon run by Eliud Kipchoge in Vienna in October.

Independent research showed “sufficient evidence to raise concerns that the integrity of the sport might be threatened by the recent developments in shoe technology”, the Monaco-based governing body said.

An expert working group will be created to assess new shoes entering the market. Still, the more established Nike style called Vaporfly, increasingly favoured by top marathon runners, can be worn.

World Athletics set a guideline taking effect on April 30 that a shoe must have been available to buy for at least four months to be eligible for use in competition.

“If a shoe is not openly available to all then it will be deemed a prototype and use of it in competition will not be permitted,” the statement said.

The Tokyo Olympics open in just under six months.

“As we enter the Olympic year, we don’t believe we can rule out shoes that have been generally available for a considerable period of time,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said.

“But we can draw a line by prohibiting the use of shoes that go further than what is currently on the market while we investigate further.

“I believe these new rules strike the right balance by offering certainty to athletes and manufacturers as they prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.”

The Vaporfly shoes used by Kipchoge to run the first sub-two hour marathon and by fellow Kenyan Brigid Kosgei to smash the women’s marathon world record both contained triple carbon plates inside thick, ultra-compressed foam, said by Nike to help improve running economy by up to four per cent.

These are the shoes that sparked debate in the running world.

A furore erupted over the shoe following Kipchoge’s history-making feat in October.

Ryan Hall, who holds the US record for the half-marathon and finished 10th in the marathon at the Beijing Olympics, insisted track officials need to ensure an even playing field when it comes to footwear.

“With all due respect to Kipchoge, as he is clearly the greatest marathoner of all-time regardless of the shoes he is in, when a shoe company puts multiple carbon fibre plates in a shoe with cushion between the plates it is no longer a shoe, it’s a spring, and a clear mechanical advantage to anyone not in those shoes,” Hall wrote on Instagram last year.

“I’m just hoping the IAAF makes sure the upcoming Olympics and World Marathon Majors are fair playing fields for athletes of all brands.

“I am no way trying to takeaway from Kipchoge’s amazing performance this past weekend. I am continually blown away and impressed by his performances … He did it. He broke (two hours) and I’ll be the first to celebrate that.

“(But) shoes need to be regulated with strict rules so that it’s an even playing field for elite (runners) across all brands. I’m all about advances in technology that help us run faster. But I don’t think athletes should be losing races because they are in a shoe that doesn’t have a spring-like mechanism in them.

“This isn’t about unreleased prototypes not being available, it’s about mechanical advantage. Other sports have limits they place on the gear-cycling, triathlon, golf. So needs track and field.”

Eliud Kipchoge put Nike’s Vaporfly in the spotlight.