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National federation · Brazil

CBAt — Confederação Brasileira de Atletismo

Brazil's athletics confederation, which publishes per-competition selection criteria with numeric entry standards — the most fully documented selection system in Latin America.
✓ Last reviewed: August 2026
Founded2 December 1977, Rio de Janeiro
HeadquartersBragança Paulista, São Paulo
Members27 state federations
SelectionPer-competition criteria with numeric entry standards
Athlete credentialA permanent CBAt registro number

What it is

The Confederação Brasileira de Atletismo was founded on 2 December 1977 in Rio de Janeiro when the old multi-sport confederation ceased running the sport, and has operated since January 2019 from a purpose-built 81,000 m² site in Bragança Paulista that also houses the national athletics development centre. It brings together 27 state federations and brands its national teams as Atletismo Brasil.[1]

Its administrative council for 30 March 2025 to 29 March 2029 is led by Wlamir Leandro Motta Campos, with seats reserved for the athletes' commission, an Olympic medallist and Brazil's representative on the World Athletics Council. The 2025 electoral assembly was contested and its full file trail — candidacy homologation, challenges and result — is public.[2] [3]

How the national team is selected

This is the most fully documented selection system in Latin America, and the model the rest of the region can be measured against.

The confederation publishes a separate Critérios de Convocação document for every national-team delegation, athletes and coaches, in a dated public register — covering the World Championships, World Indoors, the world under-20s, the continental and Ibero-American championships and the Olympics. Companion pages publish the required standards and the list of athletes who have achieved them. Criteria are set by the technical council and then deliberated by the administrative council.[4] [5]

The rules are numeric and ordered. For a World Championships, up to three athletes per individual event are called, taking first those who have met the published entry standards, then continental champions whose mark is the best in the area on the world ranking, then athletes by world-ranking position — and where four or more qualify, the tie-break is the national championship winner, then the two best on the Brazilian ranking over a stated window. Relay composition is spelled out in ranked order.[6]

Registration is a permanent act: "REGISTRO is the act by which the athlete is registered with the confederation… the registration is carried out once and the athlete receives a definitive number," and every athlete must be registered before taking part in any official competition, from age 11. Record ratification runs through the state federation that promoted the competition, within 72 hours, with photo-finish and wind documentation and the officials' registration numbers.[7] [8]

The confederation publishes a filterable national records database, a national ranking by year and category, and athlete career pages.[9]

References

  1. CBAt — história da CBAt. Accessed August 2026.
  2. CBAt — conselho de administração. Accessed August 2026.
  3. CBAt — eleições. Accessed August 2026.
  4. CBAt — critérios de convocação. Accessed August 2026.
  5. CBAt — conselho técnico defines criteria for 2026. Accessed August 2026.
  6. CBAt — critérios de convocação, 2025 World Championships. Accessed August 2026.
  7. CBAt — Norma 01, registro e inscrição de atletas. Accessed August 2026.
  8. CBAt — Norma 08, homologação de recordes. Accessed August 2026.
  9. CBAt — recordes e ranking. Accessed August 2026.