GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
Why can a discus or hammer hitting the near side of the cage be treated differently from hitting the far side?
The retained rule treats the sides differently after release. A discus or hammer head striking the far side is a failure. A near-side contact by the discus or any part of the hammer has a narrow allowance only if it lands inside the sector beyond the cage and no other rule is infringed.
For Throwing-event viewers and new officials trying to understand a cage-contact call. · Updated
Define near and far while facing the landing sector
For a right-handed thrower, near is the right side and far is the left. For a left-handed thrower, the sides reverse. Defining the direction first avoids applying a right-handed description to a left-handed throw.
The rule names different contact conditions
After release, far-side contact is a failure when the discus or the hammer head strikes that side. The near-side provision is worded more broadly: it covers the discus or any part of the hammer.
That near-side contact is not a failure on that ground only when the implement lands inside the landing sector beyond the cage and no other rule is infringed, including the separate throwing-event conditions in TR32.10. The exception does not make every cage contact harmless.
Two fictional right-handed discus throws
Imagine one fictional right-handed throw in which the discus contacts the near, right side and then lands inside the sector beyond the cage, with no other infringement. The near-side provision may apply. In a second fictional throw, the discus strikes the far, left side after release, which the cited note identifies as a failure. These are rule examples, not decisions about footage.
Related questions
Which side is near for a left-handed thrower?
With the thrower facing the landing sector, the near side is left for a left-handed thrower; for a right-handed thrower it is right.
Does near-side cage contact always make a throw valid?
No. The narrow provision requires the discus or any part of the hammer to contact the near side, then land inside the sector beyond the cage, with no other rule infringement. The named contact part also differs for far-side contact.
Sources and further reading
- Competition Rules & Technical Rules (C1.1 & C2.1), retained 2026 text checked 2026-10-15 — TR32.14 Notes (ii)-(iii), explanatory Comments and TR32.16, printed pp.83-84 (PDF pp.125-126)..
- Competition and Technical Rule Amendments July 2026 — cover and page 2, CR32 change table; the retained sheet lists a CR32 U20 5000m Race Walk change only and does not amend the event rule discussed here.