A new international athletic series of one day meetings would be launched in 2020 to complement the existing Diamond League series.
The IAAF announced that the World Athletics Continental Tour would also provide top flight world ranking points and earning opportunities for athletes.
The Tour would focus on disciplines not featured in the Diamond League. The Diamond League currently features the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 110m and 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 3,000m steeplechase, long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault, sot put, discus throw and the javelin throw events.
The IAAF have also confirmed that the world rankings system would be structured so that athletes in every discipline would earn the same level of points at their highest available one-day meeting series – the Diamond League or the World Athletics Continental Tour.
The Diamond League General Assembly which met yesterday has also confirmed the venues for the 14 meetings and final for the 2020 season.
The major change would be that Gateshead would replace Birmingham as one of the venues.
Birmingham’s stadium is being redeveloped for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and is not available to host the IAAF Diamond League.
China would also host a second a second Diamond League meeting apart from the current event in Shanghai. The new Chinese venue would be confirmed later.
The meeting also discussed on the disciplines to be included in the 90-minute international broadcast window. The IAAF is looking at ways to ensure at least 11 disciplines to be conducted in the set time frame.
A final decision on the disciplines would be made at the beginning of November 2019.
Sebastian Coe, the chairman of the Diamond League Board said: “The Diamond League is our shop window and we want to attract new fans with a fast, action-packed format that is commercially attractive to broadcasters and partners.
“I am delighted that the Diamond League meetings have chosen to actively support the creation of the World Athletics Continental Tour as this will enable us to maintain strong international competition opportunities for all our world class athletes as they come through their continental structures.”
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