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The outdoor athletics season is underway and the world’s best track and field athletes are ready to compete in this year’s Diamond League.
Here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the elite track and field series before its first stop in Shanghai on Saturday.
What is the Diamond League?
The Diamond League is a series of 15 elite athletics meets that take place in 13 different countries spread across four continents (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America). This year’s season runs from May through September.
What events are contested?
There are 32 different disciplines (16 for men and 16 for women) over the season, with each discipline contested a total of seven times over 14 meets. Here is a full list of the events included this season:
- 100m
- 200m
- 400m
- 800m
- 1,500m
- 3,000m / 5,000m
- 110m hurdles (men), 100m hurdles (women)
- 400m hurdles
- 3,000m steeplechase
- High jump
- Pole vault
- Long jump
- Triple jump
- Discus
- Shot put
- Javelin
What’s on the line?
The athletes compete for two things at each event: prize money (more on that below) and points.
The points are awarded in relation to their performance, and if they accumulate enough, it will qualify them for the two-day Diamond League Final. That’s the 15th and final event of the season, where even more prize money is on the line, plus the title of Diamond League champion.
How does the points system work?
When an athlete competes at a Diamond League event, they will earn points relative to their result. Here’s a breakdown:
- 1st place: Eight points
- 2nd place: Seven points
- 3rd place: Six points
- 4th place: Five points
- 5th place: Four points
- 6th place: Three points
- 7th place: Two points
- 8th place: One point
Athletes are looking to accumulate enough points to reach the Diamond League Final and compete to be crowned the overall season champion.
There are different allotments in the final, depending on the discipline:
- For the 100m-800m events, the top-eight point-getters will make the final
- In the 1,500m and long-distance events, the final will include the top-10 point-getters
- The field events will see the top-six point-getters make the final
How much money is at stake?
The Diamond League will offer up $9.24 million US in total prize money this season. All prize money is entirely gender-equal, with exactly the same rates for men’s and women’s athletes in each discipline.
This is the breakdown in prize money for each Diamond Discipline event (all figures in US):
Diamond League series meeting
- 1st place: $10,000
- 2nd place: $6,000
- 3rd place: $4,000
- 4th place: $3,000
- 5th place: $2,500
- 6th place: $2,000
- 7th place: $1,500
- 8th place: $1,000
Diamond League Final
- 1st place: $30,000
- 2nd place: $12,000 (final)
- 3rd place: $7,000 (final)
- 4th place: $4,000 (final)
- 5th place: $2,500
- 6th place: $2,000
- 7th place: $1,500
- 8th place: $1,000
This season will also feature a select number of “Diamond+ Disciplines” – four at the series meetings and eight at the Final – in which athletes can earn higher prize money. Top prizes range from $20,000 for wins at series meetings and $60,000 for Diamond League Final winners.
When and where are the meets happening?
There are 15 meets this season, including the final. Here is the full schedule of Diamond League events this season:
- May 16: Shanghai Diamond League in Shanghai/Keqiao, China
- May 23: Xiamen Diamond League in Xiamen, China
- May 31: Meeting International Mohammed VI d’Athlétisme de Rabat in Rabat, Morocco
- June 4: Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome, Italy
- June 7: Bauhausgalan in Stockholm, Sweden
- June 10: Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway
- June 19: Doha Diamond League in Doha, Qatar
- June 28: Meeting de Paris in Paris, France
- July 4: Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore.
- July 10: Herculis EBS in Fontvieille, Monaco
- July 18: London Athletics Meet in London, England
- Aug. 21: Athletissima in Lausanne, Switzerland
- Aug. 23: Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzów, Poland
- Aug. 27: Weltklasse Zürich in Zürich, Switzerland
- Sept. 4-5: AG Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium
What’s different about this Diamond League season?
The season was supposed to open in Doha on May 8, but that meet was postponed due to the war in the Middle East.
“In recent weeks, the Diamond League has been monitoring the situation in Doha, working in close coordination with meeting organizers, Qatari authorities and other stakeholders,” the Diamond League said in a statement in early April.
“In the interests of athlete and spectator safety, a decision has now been taken to postpone the meeting. Should conditions allow, it will now be held on June 19.”
Which Canadian athletes are competing?
Shot put star Sarah Mitton will be in action at the first stop of the season in Shanghai on Saturday (7 a.m. ET, CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem). Mitton, of Brooklyn, N.S., is coming off a silver medal at the world indoor championships, and the only Canadian scheduled for the Shanghai meet.
Edmonton’s Marco Arop – the Olympic silver medallist in the men’s 800m – will also be in competition in the Diamond League this season. The 27-year-old will be part of a star-studded field at the meet in Stockholm on June 7, which will also feature the gold and bronze medallists from Paris 2024.
Other Canadians competing at future Diamond League stops will be confirmed as start lists are released.
Who are the other big names to watch for?
Olympic and world champions abound at this year’s Diamond League series. That includes women’s 100m and 200m world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, men’s pole vault world and Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis, and many others.
How do you watch the events?
All Diamond League events will stream live on CBCSports.ca and on CBC Gem.
There will also be several events broadcast on CBC Sports Presents on CBC TV and streaming on the CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem platforms. For a full broadcast schedule of athletics events this season, click here.
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