What you need to know about (and how to watch) Diamond League track & field
CBC
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 Xiamen, China, on Saturday.
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 April through August.
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:
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.
When an athlete competes at a Diamond League event, they will earn points relative to their result. Here's a breakdown:
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:
The Diamond League will offer up a new league-record $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):
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 $30,000 for wins at series meetings and $50,000 for Diamond League Final winners.
There are 15 meets this season, including the final. Here is the full schedule of Diamond League events this season:
