New FCI Agility rules from 2023: A new size class, elimination of soft tunnels and the upcontacts

There has been a lot of discussion in recent months and years regarding the new Agility Regulations for 2023 and beyond. Some information has already leaked out and is no longer entirely new. But now the rules for 2023 have been officially adopted and published. With the introduction of a new size class, the elimination of the soft tunnel, adjustments to the ascent zones or the increase in the minimum age for participation in FCI events, the innovations are more far-reaching than in 2018 when the last adjustment was made. In this article we will fly over the new rules and show you the most important changes which will be valid from January 2023. We would like to point out that only the official FCI document “Agility Competition Rules” is valid and that this is only a rough, incomplete list of the changes.

Size Categories

• Introduction of new size category
  The size Intermediate has been added to the three existing categories Large, Medium and Small. This is made for dogs with a withers height of 43cm to 48cm. All dogs over 48cm must start in the Large category. The discussed XS-Small category, as it has been used in many countries for several years, will not be an FCI-recognized category in the next few years either. The jump height for the intermediate category is between 45cm and 50cm.

Course Design

• Distance between obstacles
  The minimum distance for the dog (dog’s path) to the following obstacle must not be less than 5 meters, while the maximum distance for the dog can not be more than 9 meters. Measured from the point at which the dog realistically leaves the last obstacle. For the handler, the obstacle can only be 7 meters away from the next one.
• Weave
  The slalom can only be used once within the course. But it must be part of every course.
• Lines for the long jump, the tyre and the double jump
  The dog must have a straight line from the last obstacle if the next obstacle is the long jump, tyre or double jump.
• Tunnel
  There can now be up to 5 tunnel passages within a course.
• Start or finish line
  The first or last obstacle no longer has to be just a normal jump. Here the judges now have the option of using any type of jumps (hurdle, wall, tyre or long jump). If the possibility of a safe time measurement is given.

Obstacles

• Soft tunnel
  The soft tunnel (or blind tunnel) is officially no longer an Agility obstacle and may no longer be used in an official competition.
• Hurdles & Wall
  Addition of the jump height for the intermediate category from 45cm to 50cm.
• Tyre
  The tyre may now only be attached to two supports on the side. The frame to which the tyre was attached with chains, as it was common with earlier tyres, is no longer allowed. In general, there should be no bar above the tyre. At the same time, the obstacle must not tip over too quickly. Another safety feature that has been included in the regulations is that the tyre (consisting of a soft material) must break into at least two or four parts. The jump heights from the ground are L: 80cm – I: 70cm – M and S: 55cm
• Long jump
  Addition of the jump distance for the intermediate category: 90cm to 110cm with 3 to 4 parts.
• Tunnel
  The judge should now have at least 4 tunnels available from the organizer for an FCI competition. One of them should have a length of 3-4m.
  The number of fasteners is also specified more detailed. A tunnel bag is required for every meter of tunnel.

Judging

• Contact Zones
  The upcontacts for the dog walk and the A-frame are no longer judged. The downcontact remains as usual. There are also no changes to the seesaw. There the dog must still touch both the entrance and the exit with at least one part of the paw.
• Dogwalk & A-frame
  The dog must touch the ascending ramp once with at least all four paws. Otherwise this will result in a disqualification.
• Elimination
  The following points were new or adjusted:
  – If the dog destroys an obstacle before it has been completed or it would have to be completed again later in the course.
  – If the handler starts or stops the timing at the start or at the finish line by himself.
  – If the run is started before the judge gives the go.
  – When the handler is training on the course before or after the run.

FCI tournaments

• Minimum age
  Dogs must be at least 24 months old by the day of the competition. This applies to all FCI events.
• Agility World Championship
  A country can enter a maximum of 12 teams for the individual competition. Maximum 6 per size category (L, I, M or S).
  The number of teams per team remains the same with 4 teams as it was before.

Source: http://www.fci.be/medias/AGI-REG-49-2020-en-13702.pdf