The rules of racewalking and what to do if you the judges caution or red card you.

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Rule 230 from the IAAF (International Amateur Athletics Federation) states:
Race Walking is a progression of steps so taken that the walker makes contact with the ground, so that no visible (to the human eye) loss of contact occurs. The advancing leg shall be straightened (i.e. not bent at the knee) from the moment of first contact with the ground until the vertical upright position.

Cautions

Athletes shall be cautioned when, by their mode of progression, they are in danger of failing to comply with paragraph 1 above by showing the athlete a yellow paddle with the symbol of the offence on each side. The athlete cannot be given a second caution by one and the same Judge for the same offence. Having cautioned an athlete, the Judge shall inform the Chief Judge of his action after the competition.

Red Cards

When a Judge observes an athlete failing to comply with the rule of racewalking by exhibiting visible loss of contact or a bent knee during any part of the competition, the Judge shall send a red card to the Chief Judge.

Disqualification

• When three Red Cards from three different judges have been sent to the Chief Judge, the athlete is disqualified and he shall be notified of this disqualification by the Chief Judge or the Chief Judge's Assistant by showing the athlete a red paddle. The failure to give notification shall not result in the reinstatement of a disqualified athlete.
• In track races, an athlete who is disqualified shall immediately leave the track and, in road races, shall, immediately after being disqualified, remove the distinguishing numbers and leave the course.
• A Posting Board shall be placed on the course and near the finish to keep athletes informed about the number of red cards that have been sent to the Chief Judge for each athlete. The symbol of each offence should also be indicated on the Posting Board. These are normal used in championships events.

Judging

• All the Judges shall act in an individual capacity and their judgments shall be based on observations made by the human eye.
• For road races, there should normally be a minimum of six to maximum of nine judges including the Chief Judge.
• For track races there should normally be six judges including the Chief Judge.
• In competitions of State Championships or higher the Chief Judge has the power to disqualify an athlete, inside the stadium when the race finishes in the stadium or in the last 100m when the race takes place solely on the track or on the road course, when his/her mode of progression obviously fails to comply with the definition above regardless the number of previous red cards the Chief Judge has received on the athlete. An athlete who is disqualified by the Chief Judge under these circumstances shall be allowed to finish the race

So what does this mean……………

Contact and Bent Knees
The rule can be divided into two part, 1st, at some stage both feet have to be on the ground, so the front foot has to land before the back foot comes off the ground.

These athletes are off the ground, so the judge could give them a red card.

The 2nd part of the rule states that the knee must be straight from the time the foot lands until the leg is under the body.

This athlete is walking with bent knees, so the judge could give him a red card.