In addition to the individual event competitions, the Balkan Athletics Championships have traditionally featured a team classification system. Athletes score points for their national teams according to their placing in each event, with the accumulated points determining the men’s and women’s team champions of each edition.

For most of the Championships’ history, each country was allowed to enter two athletes per event and one relay team. Due to the increasing number of participating nations, from the mid-1990s onwards the entry quota was reduced to one athlete per country in each event. Separate team standings are maintained for men’s and women’s competitions.

The scoring system has evolved throughout the history of the Championships:

• 1929 (Pan-Balkan Games): the first four athletes scored points on a 4-3-2-1 scale, while relay teams were awarded 3-2-1 points.
• 1930–1932: the first five athletes scored 5-4-3-2-1 points.
• 1933–1978: the first six athletes scored 6-5-4-3-2-1 points in individual events.
• From 1956: relay events were scored 12-9-6-3-1 for the first five teams.
• Since 1979: the first eight athletes score 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points.

For decades, winning the team classification was regarded as one of the most prestigious achievements in Balkan athletics, reflecting not only individual excellence but also the overall strength and depth of a nation’s athletics programme.