WORLD Athletics is set to tighten regulations regarding high-tech running shoes.

The governing body’s council has been considering the recommendations of a group of experts, with an announcement expected today.

Amid fears of the threat of a potential legal challenge, the review panel has chosen not to impose a blanket ban on Nike’s controversial Vaporfly range, BBC Sport understands.

But some modified versions could be barred from elite competition under new temporary rules designed to bring athletes greater clarity before the Olympics begin in Tokyo in July.

Those rules will restrict the thickness of the shoes’ soles, although there will also be an announcement of a new longer-term biometric study of the technology being used in both distance and track running.

Manufacturers will be asked to submit any existing new prototypes to World Athletics – formerly known as the IAAF – for approval before being used in major competitions, and halt any further technology until after the Olympics.

But all existing records set with the shoes will be allowed to stand. (BBC Sport)