Second Dynamics New Athletics takes place this Thursday

The second edition of Gibraltar Athletics’ Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) competition will take place this Thursday, May 21, from 4.30pm at the Lathbury Sports Stadium, as schools once again go head-to-head in one of the sport’s most innovative formats.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, athletes from Bayside School, Westside School and Prior Park School are set to return for another evening of fast-paced inter-school competition designed to bring a modern twist to athletics.
DNA is an innovative, team-based competition concept created by European Athletics to complement the traditional athletics format. The initiative aims to bring athletics into the 21st century by enhancing the sport with a new dimension targeted towards younger audiences and participants.
The format combines traditional track and field disciplines with modern innovations including mixed-gender teams, timed challenges and dynamic scoring systems designed to keep the competition alive until the very final event.
DNA integrates modified rules that can be adapted for every level of competition while remaining true to the essence of athletics. Key features include mixed-gender teams, mixed relays, a compact programme of interchangeable disciplines and head-to-head field event competition where every attempt contributes towards the overall team score.
One of the standout features of the format is “The Hunt”, the final event of the competition. Teams accumulate points throughout the evening based on their finishing positions in each discipline. At the end of the competition, the team with the highest number of points will start The Hunt in first position, with the remaining teams starting behind according to their points totals.
The second-placed team will begin with a 2.5 second time deficit, the third-placed team with a 5 second deficit and so on, creating a dramatic finale in the mixed-gender relay where the first team across the line will be crowned Inter-School DNA Champions.
Taking place at the Lathbury Sports Stadium, the competition continues to provide a fresh chapter for school athletics in Gibraltar, encouraging young athletes to compete in a fun and energetic environment while promoting teamwork, school spirit and participation in sport.