In most disciplines, an Official begins as an Apprentice, and then upgrades to Association. However, a few disciplines have no real Apprentice Level. Officials in these disciplines still follow the same upgrade path to Association Level as for any other discipline. These include:
One notable exception to this is Paralympics. Though Apprentice level Officials may go through the Paralympic process (for example, completing the Rules Review), and may even officiate at Para Events, the Para designation is not awarded until the Official is at least a USATF Association level Official.
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