Meeting in Qatar, the IAAF Council agreed to amend rules so that an athlete who switches country is unable to compete for their new country for three years from the date they receive citizenship.
In the past the period of ineligibility ran from the time they last competed for their original country.
Also on the council’s agenda were decisions on hosting the 2006 IAAF Road Running Championships and the 2007 IAAF World Youth Championship.
The first ever World Road Running Championships will be held in Debrecen, Hungary’s second largest city. The city is considered the ‘engine of athletics’ in Hungary and has hosted a range if events including the IAAF’s Youth Championships in 2001.
The 2007 World Youth Championships will go to Ostrava in the Czech Republic, home to the annual Golden Spike meeting.
Dates and competition details have yet to be confirmed.
