The news was in the air for a long time and had already been tested this year in the two races of the IAAF Challenge in Mexico.
The penalties used for the Pit Lane Rule, change dresses and are also adapted to a possible use for senior activity, and particularly to team-events.
We include the new text of Rule 230.7 (c) which will enter in force on Nov. 1, 2017 (in bold the changes).
(c) A Pit Lane shall be used for any race where the applicable Regulations for the competition so provide and may be used for other races as determined by the relevant governing body or Organising Committee. In such cases, an athlete will be required to enter the Pit Lane and remain there for the applicable period (as set out in the Regulations or Organising Committee decision) once they have received three Red Cards and are so advised by the Chief Judge or someone delegated by him.
The applicable period in the Pit Lane will be the following.
For races:
Up to 5km: 0.5 min
Up to 10km: 1 min
Up to 20km: 2 min
Up to 30km: 3 min
Up to 40km: 4 min
Up to 50km: 5 min
If, at any time, the athlete receives an additional Red Card from a Judge other than one of the three who had previously sent a Red Card, he shall be disqualified. An athlete who fails to enter the Pit Lane when required to do so, or remain there for the applicable period, shall be disqualified by the Chief Judge.
These new penalties are now more in keeping with the result of the experimentation made over the last four years on this new rule.
It is evident that their use is now open to all categories, if the relevant national regulations or organizers provide it.
In particular, we like to point out that this new rule will be applied in the next IAAF Race Walk World Teams Championships in Taicang, marking a significant breakthrough in team rankings.
In addition to Rule 230.7 (c), Rules 230.10 (d) and 230.10 (h) have also been amended. An important note has been added to the latter.
Here again, we include the whole new text
(d) Refreshments, which may be provided by either the Organising Committee or the athlete, shall be placed at the stations so that they are easily accessible to, or may be put by authorized persons into the hands of, the athletes.
Refreshments provided by the athletes shall be kept under the supervision of officials designated by the Organising Committee from the moment that the refreshments are delivered by the athletes or their representatives
(h) An athlete who receives or collects refreshment or water from a place other than the official stations, except where provided for medical reasons from or under the direction of race officials, or takes the refreshment of another athlete, should, for a first such offence, be warned by the Referee normally by showing a yellow card. For a second offence, the Referee shall disqualify the athlete, normally by showing a red card. The athlete shall then immediately leave the course.
Note: An athlete may receive from or pass to another athlete refreshment, water or sponges provided it was carried from the start or collected or received at an official station. However any continuous support from an athlete to one or more others in such a way may be regarded as unfair assistance and warnings and/or disqualifications as outlined above may be applied.
A good exemple of Pit lane Area in track events