Combined Events Scoring Tables

Official guide based on the IAAF Combined Events Scoring Tables

What are Combined Events?

Combined events are a discipline within athletics that consist of multiple events in which athletes compete across different disciplines over one or two consecutive days. The final ranking is not determined by finishing position in each individual event, but by the total number of points accumulated across all events: the athlete with the highest score wins the competition.

Each performance, whether a time, distance or height, is converted into points using the IAAF Combined Events Scoring Tables. These points are accumulated after each event, and the athlete with the highest total score at the end of the competition wins.

IMPORTANT! The IAAF Combined Events Scoring Tables are completely independent from the World Athletics Scoring Tables, which are used to compare performances across different disciplines. A score of 900 points in combined events is not equivalent to 900 points in the WA tables.

Competitions

Combined events are contested both outdoors and indoors, with different formats and events for men and women. The most common competitions include:

  • Men's Decathlon

    Day 1

    1. 100m
    2. Long Jump
    3. Shot Put
    4. High Jump
    5. 400m

    Day 2

    1. 110m Hurdles
    2. Discus Throw
    3. Pole Vault
    4. Javelin Throw
    5. 1500m

  • Women's Heptathlon

    Day 1

    1. 100m Hurdles
    2. High Jump
    3. Shot Put
    4. 200m

    Day 2

    1. Long Jump
    2. Javelin Throw
    3. 800m

  • Men's Heptathlon - Short Track

    Day 1

    1. 60m
    2. Long Jump
    3. Shot Put
    4. High Jump

    Day 2

    1. 60m Hurdles
    2. Pole Vault
    3. 1000m

  • Women's Pentathlon - Short Track

    Day 1

    1. 60m Hurdles
    2. High Jump
    3. Shot Put
    4. Long Jump
    5. 800m

These are the most common formats used in official championships. However, other variations exist depending on gender, category and federation, such as the octathlon or nonathlon.

How Performances Are Scored

Points for each performance are calculated using one of three mathematical formulas, depending on whether the event is a track event, a jump or a throw. These formulas use three event-specific constants: a, b and c.

The Three Formulas

  • Track Events

    P = a ⋅ ( b - T ) c
    T = time in seconds (s)

  • Jumps

    P = a ⋅ ( D - b ) c
    M = performance in centimeters (cm)

  • Throws

    P = a ⋅ ( M - b ) c
    D = distance in meters (m)

The result must always be rounded down to the nearest whole number. For example, if the formula gives 123.999, it becomes 123 points.

Manual Timing Adjustment

When manual timing is used, the following time adjustments must be applied before calculating points:

  • 60mT + 0.24
  • 100mT + 0.24
  • 200mT + 0.24
  • 400mT + 0.14
  • 60mHT + 0.24
  • 100mHT + 0.24
  • 110mHT + 0.24

For events longer than 400m, no manual timing adjustment is applied.

Official Parameters by Event

The values of a, b and c are fixed constants for each event and are the same for all athletes. If an event is contested indoors (Short Track), the same formula applies.

Event a b c
60m 58.0150 11.50 1.81
100m 25.4347 18.00 1.81
200m 5.8425 38.00 1.81
400m 1.53775 82.00 1.81
1000m 0.08713 305.50 1.85
1500m 0.03768 480.00 1.85
60m Hurdles 20.5173 15.50 1.92
110m Hurdles 5.74352 28.50 1.92
High Jump 0.8465 75.00 1.42
Pole Vault 0.2797 100.00 1.35
Long Jump 0.14354 220.00 1.40
Shot Put 51.39 1.50 1.05
Discus Throw 12.91 4.00 1.10
Javelin Throw 10.14 7.00 1.08
Event a b c
100m 17.8570 21.00 1.81
200m 4.99087 42.50 1.81
400m 1.34285 91.70 1.81
800m 0.11193 254.00 1.88
1500m 0.02883 535.00 1.88
60m Hurdles 20.0479 17.00 1.835
100m Hurdles 9.23076 26.70 1.835
High Jump 1.84523 75.00 1.348
Pole Vault 0.44125 100.00 1.35
Long Jump 0.188807 210.00 1.41
Shot Put 56.0211 1.50 1.05
Discus Throw 12.3311 3.00 1.10
Javelin Throw 15.9803 3.80 1.04

Official Competition Rules

The following rules apply to all combined events:

  • Only Three Attempts

    In the long jump and all throwing events, each athlete has only three attempts, regardless of their position in the event. No additional attempts are allowed. This differs from individual events, where extra attempts are usually granted.

  • Rest Between Events

    Whenever possible, there must be at least 30 minutes between the end of one event and the start of the next for each athlete.

  • Rest Between Days

    When the competition spans two days, there must be at least 10 hours between the last event of the first day and the first event of the second day.

  • False Starts

    In track events, only one false start per race is allowed without disqualification (yellow card). Any athlete responsible for an additional false start in the same race will be disqualified (red card). Additionally, a yellow card carries over throughout the combined event, meaning that any further false start in another race will result in immediate disqualification.

  • Bar Increments

    In vertical jumps, the bar must be raised uniformly throughout the competition: increments of 3 cm in the high jump and 10 cm in the pole vault.

  • Scores Announced

    Points for each individual event and the cumulative total must be announced to all athletes after each event.

  • Retirement

    Any athlete who does not attempt to start or record a performance in an event will not be allowed to continue in subsequent events and will not be included in the final classification. Athletes who decide to withdraw must inform the combined events referee immediately. If an athlete records three fouls in an event, they may continue competing, but will score zero points for that event.

Tie-Breaking Rules

If two or more athletes finish with the same total score, the following procedure is applied in order:

  1. If two athletes are tied, their performances are compared head-to-head across all events. The athlete who has more event wins (higher points in each event) ranks higher.
  2. If still tied, the athlete with the highest individual event score ranks higher.
  3. If the tie persists, the second-best performance is compared, and so on.
  4. If the tie remains after all comparisons, the result is declared a tie.

Note: The first step does not apply when more than two athletes are tied.