Diamond League series to adopt a ‘championship style’ model and also revert to six attempts for all athletes in horizontal jumps and throws events
The IAAF Diamond League is to adopt a ‘championship style’ model with finalists competing for a prize pool of $3.2 million, it has been announced.
As from next season, athletes will earn points in the first 12 IAAF Diamond League meetings in order to qualify for a final meeting in either Zurich or Brussels where $100,000 will be at stake in each of the 32 ‘Diamond’ disciplines, including $50,000 for each winner through to $2000 for eighth place.
In previous seasons, athletes accumulated points throughout the IAAF Diamond League season with the overall winner of each of the 32 events being the athlete with the most points irrespective of whether they won the final.
The season will now be a race to reach the finals, with the winners crowned as IAAF Diamond League Champions. As in a championship, the performance of athletes in the final alone will determine who the champion will be and the prize money won.
It was also announced that the series will revert to offering six attempts for all athletes in horizontal jumps and throws events. This follows a controversial rule change last season which saw all athletes given three attempts but only the top four offered three further attempts.
The finals at the Zurich event on August 24 will be the men’s 100m, 400m, 1500m, 5000m, 400m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump and javelin, plus the women’s 200m, 800m, 3000m steeplechase, 100m hurdles, triple jump, shot put and javelin. The finals at the Brussels event on September 1 will be the men’s 200m, 800m, 3000m steeplechase, 110m hurdles, triple jump, shot put and discus, plus the women’s 100m, 400m, 1500m, 5000m, 400m hurdles, high jump, pole vault, long jump and discus.
Some events will be contested four times and others six times through the series. Further details on the events to be held at each of the qualifying meetings can be found here.
“The IAAF Diamond League finals will now offer a dramatic showdown between the world’s best athletes, a true climax to a four-month race across four continents,” read an IAAF Diamond League statement in part.
IAAF president Seb Coe, who is also chairman of the Diamond League AG, commented: “After seven seasons which have established the IAAF Diamond League as our premier circuit it is important to assess its impact and build for the future. These decisions are the first step to growing the attractiveness of the series.”
Prize money structure for each of the 32 events:
1st $50,000
2nd $20,000
3rd $10,000
4th $6000
5th $5000
6th $4000
7th $3000
8th $2000