Nairobi will be the first African host city of the 2020 World Athletics Continental Tour which comprises ten meetings, with the first one set to hold at the Moi International Stadium in the Kenyan capital on May 2nd.
The pilot year of the US$2 million Gold meeting series will now visit four continents – Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the impetus for creating the Continental Tour was to provide more competition and earning opportunities for more athletes.
Fittingly, given the tradition of African distance runners, Nairobi will stage the 3000m steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m for men and women as part of its programme. This is expected to be the highest quality senior international meeting to be held in Kenya’s history.
The Continental Tour will be divided into three levels – Gold, Silver and Bronze – whose status will be determined by the quality of competition and prize money on offer.
World Athletics is investing in the Gold level meetings, which will each offer US$200,000 in prize money, to increase the number of high-quality competitive opportunities available to showcase our sport’s best athletes.
Area associations will be responsible for managing the Silver (US$75,000 prize money) and Bronze level competitions (US$25,000). There will be ten Silver and up to 50 Bronze meetings.
Those disciplines that are not included in this year’s Wanda Diamond League final – 200m, 3000m steeplechase, triple jump, discus – will be core events in the Continental Tour Gold meetings, as will the hammer throw. Each will have guaranteed prize money of US$20,000 at each meeting.
Performances in those events will attract the same level of world ranking points as the core Diamond League disciplines, and the overall tour winners will receive wildcard entry to the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2021. The full 10 meet schedule for the Continental Tour Gold is as follows:
2 May – Nairobi KEN (Africa)
10 May – Tokyo JPN (Asia)
13 May – Nanjing CHN (Asia)
22 May – Ostrava CZE (Europe)
1 June – Hengelo NED (Europe)
9 June – Turku FIN (Europe)
13 June – Kingston JAM (North America)
7 June- Szekesfehervar HUN (Europe)
6 September – Silesia POL (Europe)
15 September – Zagreb CRO (Europe)
The full schedule of Continental Tour Silver level meetings is as follows:
20 March – Queensland Track Classic, Brisbane AUS (Oceania)
4 April – Grenada International Invitational, St. George GRN (North America)
2 May – Jamaica International Invitational, Kingston JAM (North America)
17 May – Grande Premio Brasil Caixa de Atletismo, Sao Paolo BRA (South America)
24 May – Janusz Kusocinski Memorial, Chorzów POL (Europe)
11 June – Samorin, Samorin SVK (Europe)
19 June – Meeting of Madrid, Madrid ESP (Europe)
1 July – Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern, Luzern SUI (Europe)
8 September – 56th Palio Citta della Quercia, Rovereto ITA (Europe)
13 September – ISTAF Berlin, Berlin GER (Europe)
