USA Track & Field has alerted all athletes to the strict COVID-19 protocols in place for this summer's World Athletics Championships Oregon22 ©Getty Images

United States athletes hoping to take part in this summer’s World Championships in Oregon have been told they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by June 27 in order to take part.

And they have been reminded that there is currently no exception policy or appeals process over the ruling.

USA Track & Field (USATF), which has posted the Mandatory Vaccine Requirements on its site as part of its Athlete Selection Procedures for the event scheduled for July 15 to July 24, has circulated urgent advice to potential competitors and participants.

"We ask that you review these carefully and please take note that World Athletics is mandating ALL participants in the World Championships to be fully vaccinated," the USATF statement read.

"Therefore the USATF selection criteria includes a COVID-19 vaccination requirement to match the World Athletics mandated procedures.

"World Athletics is following The Center for Disease Control (CDC) definitions, which considers an individual fully vaccinated two weeks (14 days) after your dose of an accepted single-dose vaccine or two weeks after your second dose of an accepted 2-dose series…

USATF has warned all athletes seeking to participate in this summer's World Athletics Championships in Oregon that they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by June 27 at the latest ©Getty Images
USATF has warned all athletes seeking to participate in this summer's World Athletics Championships in Oregon that they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by June 27 at the latest ©Getty Images

"To assist you in your preparations, if you are unvaccinated and want to be considered eligible for selection you are encouraged to receive either the single dose vaccine or your second dose of one of the accepted 2-dose series vaccines by June 27 so that you are in full compliance with World Athletics' COVID-19 requirements should you make the 2022 World Championships team.

"Currently World Athletics does not have an exception policy or appeals process to the vaccination requirement.

"It is expected that more information on World Athletics' COVID-19 protocols will be provided in the coming months."

The advice has been issued to athletes, agents and all officials likely to be participating in the first outdoor World Athletics Championships to be held on United States soil - with the recently re-constructed Hayward Field arena playing host.

The Mandatory Vaccine Requirements on the USATF site start by saying that, "for consistency, World Athletics requires all those who wish to participate in the World Championships (whether as an athlete, coach, team official, Member Federation official, Technical official, supplier etc) who are already based in the USA to comply with the same vaccination and testing requirements as for travellers to the USA."

It adds that current requirement for all international travellers to United States are to be fully vaccinated with an approved dose, and to have returned a negative result on a SARS CoV-2 viral test taken no more than one calendar day before the flight’s departure from a foreign country to the United States.

The Requirements add: "World Athletics has advised they may introduce new or additional restrictive COVID-19 protocols which all participants will need to comply with, whether they are entering the USA for the Championships, or already in the USA as COVID-19 is an ever-changing landscape.

"World Athletics encourages all participants to ensure they are fully vaccinated with a USA approved vaccine as soon as possible to ensure compliance."