NWANA Nordic Walking Sport is the competitive sport platform of the Nordic Walking Association of North America. It connects athletes, competitions, rules, results, rankings, officials, organizers, teams, clubs, NW Groups, partners, and supporters within one developing North American competition system.

No. It is the platform for NWANA’s overall competition system. Individual competitions have their own names, dates, locations or virtual formats, registration pages, distances, divisions, rules, and result procedures.

NWANA currently conducts scheduled virtual distance competitions through the NWANA Open Nordic Walking Series.

Current events, registration, deadlines, and standings are available at:

https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/SaintPetersburg/NWANANWSeries

Yes. NWANA is preparing the sporting, technical, organizational, and professional structure needed for in-person competition across North America.

A particular event is confirmed only when NWANA publishes its official name, date, location, registration information, rules, and competition designation.

A competition is confirmed only when it appears in an official NWANA announcement or competition calendar with the necessary event information.

A general description of a discipline, distance, series, or championship level does not mean that a particular event has already been scheduled.

The NWANA competition system includes four principal disciplines:

• Stadium Competition;

• Road Competition;

• Cross-Country Competition;

• Relay Competition.

Not every competition will offer every discipline or distance.

Stadium Competition takes place on a measured stadium course and provides a controlled environment for racing, technique judging, athlete development, heats, finals, and team scoring.

The NWANA framework currently identifies 400 m Technique Challenge, 1K, 3K, and 5K Stadium events.

Road Competition takes place on a measured hard-surface course, which may include roads, paved paths, park roads, or other suitable surfaces.

The NWANA framework currently identifies 1K, 3K, 5K, 10K, 15K, and 20K Road distances.

Cross-Country Competition takes place on natural or mixed-surface courses that may include grass, dirt, gravel, hills, forest paths, and changing terrain.

The NWANA framework currently identifies 1K, 3K, 5K, 10K, 15K, and 20K Cross-Country distances.

Yes. Relay Competition is the principal team component of the NWANA competition system.

Stadium, Road, Cross-Country, mixed, club, NW Group, community, regional, national, and continental relay formats may be established. Each event will publish its own team composition, leg distances, exchange procedures, eligibility, judging, timing, and scoring rules.

The developing pathway includes Open Stages, local and club competitions, state and provincial series, regional series, National Championships, and Continental Championships.

These levels describe the structure of the system. They are not a list of events that have all already been scheduled.

The NWANA competition framework includes:

• Children: U8, U10, and U12;

• Juniors: U14, U16, and U18;

• OPEN: age 18 and older;

• Masters: age 35 and older in five-year age groups.

Each competition will identify the divisions it offers. Not every event must offer every division.

OPEN is the unrestricted primary competitive division for eligible athletes age 18 and older. It has no upper age limit.

An athlete age 35, 56, 70, or older may compete for the absolute OPEN result against younger eligible athletes.

Masters classification begins at age 35:

35–39; 40–44; 45–49; 50–54; 55–59; 60–64; 65–69; 70–74; 75–79; 80–84; 85–89; 90–94; 95–99; and 100+.

The rules for each competition will explain whether an eligible athlete may enter OPEN, the applicable Masters age group, or both.

An Athlete License is not automatically required for every competition.

If a separate Athlete License is required for a particular competition, that requirement will be stated in the registration information and Event Rules Supplement.

Required Athlete Licenses are obtained through:

https://license.nwaofna.org/

No. An Individual License issued through the NWANA Nordic Walking Groups system is not an Athlete License and does not replace an Athlete License when one is required for a particular competition.

Athletes must use two safe and functional poles designed for Nordic Walking.

A particular competition may publish additional requirements concerning pole length, straps, glove systems, rubber tips, hard tips, surface-specific attachments, or equipment inspection.

Athletes must maintain compliant Nordic Walking technique throughout the competition.

This includes walking without a visible flight phase, continuous contact of at least one foot with the ground, coordinated alternate arm-and-leg movement, active use of both poles, controlled pole placement, and forward propulsion through the poles.

Speed alone does not determine a valid Nordic Walking result.

Participants must review:

• the NWANA General Competition Rules;

• the Event Rules Supplement;

• registration terms and waiver;

• division and eligibility requirements;

• course or virtual-result instructions;

• applicable safety, ranking, and qualification information.

Event-specific rules may add requirements or expressly modify a general provision.

Unless the Event Rules Supplement states otherwise, the registered distance must be completed as one continuous effort during the official event period.

Nordic Walking poles are required. Rest breaks and stopped-time breaks are not permitted, the full distance must be completed, and the result must be submitted within the published submission window.

Depending on the event, NWANA may review GPX or FIT files, Garmin or Strava activity links, screenshots, elapsed time, moving time, distance, pace, route information, and other relevant activity data.

The registration page or Event Rules Supplement will identify any evidence specifically required for that competition.

A result may be rejected when the evidence shows an incomplete distance, prohibited breaks, altered or incomplete data, inconsistent timing, an implausible pace or route, unauthorized assistance, transportation, or another issue that prevents reliable verification.

A result may initially be published as provisional while timing, eligibility, technique, course completion, submitted evidence, penalties, or corrections are reviewed.

A result becomes official only after the required review has been completed.

No. Each competition will identify whether it is ranking-eligible, which rankings receive the result, how points are calculated, how ties are resolved, and how penalties or disqualification affect the standings.

No. Participation, completion, or a verified result does not automatically provide qualification for another competition.

Any ranking or qualification consequence must be expressly stated in the applicable event rules.

Yes. NW Groups, clubs, schools, communities, and other organizations may develop local Nordic Walking competitions.

However, holding an NWANA license does not automatically make an event recognized, approved, sanctioned, ranking-eligible, or part of an official NWANA series.

An organizer must contact NWANA before promoting an event as affiliated with, recognized by, approved by, or sanctioned by NWANA.

Official status is provided only after the applicable sporting, technical, organizational, safety, and result requirements have been reviewed and confirmed.

A protest or appeal is available only when the applicable Event Rules Supplement provides a process.

The event rules may establish who may file, the deadline, required evidence, submission procedure, reviewing officials, and whether any further appeal is available.

The current NWANA virtual Series welcomes participants from North America and other parts of the world.

Eligibility for any particular virtual or in-person competition will be stated in that event’s published information.

NWANA is establishing progressive professional education and licensing pathways for instructors, coaches, Competition Judges, Race Directors, and Competition Technical Officials.

Training in one role does not automatically authorize work in another role. Education and access progress step by step according to the requirements of each pathway.

Professional pathways are available at:

https://runsignup.com/MemberOrg/InstructorTrainingSpecializations

NWANA Safe Sport information is available at:

https://runsignup.com/w/nwaofna/Page/Safe-Sport

A particular competition or professional role may publish additional participant-protection requirements.

NWANA Anti-Doping information is available at:

https://runsignup.com/w/nwaofna/Page/Anti-Doping

Any anti-doping requirements applicable to a particular competition will be identified in its official rules or participant information.

Organizations may support competitions, athlete opportunities, awards, professional education, locations, timing, technology, media, event operations, rankings, or local sport development.

Use the Partnership, Sponsorship, or Donate pathway on the NWANA Nordic Walking Sport website to begin the conversation.

Questions about registration, eligibility, rules, result submission, licenses, divisions, or event status should be submitted through the Contact Us page.

Please identify the specific competition, distance, and registration information involved so NWANA can provide an accurate response.