The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), the organizing body for various running-based competitions, launched a probe into the Nike Vaporfly after reported complaints about its use in competition.
Scrutiny intensified last week after two runners, Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgie, shattered official and unofficial records while wearing variants of the Nike Vaporfly. Nike unveiled its ZoomX Vaporfly earlier this year with an accompanying marketing campaign that called the shoe “a racing shoe that breaks records.”
According to The Times, since the Vaporfly’s initial launch back in 2016, “Dennis Kimetto’s 2014 world record of 2:2:57 has been bettered on five occasions, each time by an athlete wearing the shoe.” Many professional athletes have reportedly called for the IAAF and the Athletics Integrity Unit to examine the shoes to determine if they are providing runners with an unfair advantage.
The IAAF is said to be considering a proposal to organization leadership that all running shoes be considered legal as long as they do not provide “motor assistance” to the runner, according to British outlet The Guardian.
“The IAAF Technical Committee has established a working group to consider the issues and, if necessary, recommend changes to the technical rules,” the IAAF said in a statement. “The working group includes two former athletes alongside experts in science, ethics, footwear, biomechanics and law, and is expected to report back by the end of the year.”
The IAAF did not comment specifically on the Vaporfly or whether the committee had considered the proposal that would affirm the shoe’s legality. The IAAF’s current rules require that all sneakers used in competition be “reasonably available” to runners and not provide “any unfair assistance or advantage.”
Vaporfly’s technology features a full-length carbon fiber plate embedded in its foam midsole, which was put in place to increase propulsion. The more recent ZoomX Vaporfly Next% kept the carbon fiber plate in place, as well as added a more breathable material, extra foam, redesigned track pattern and a foam pod for Achilles support.
Nike has yet to publicly comment on the IAAF’s probe.
