The IAAF World Athletics Tour was an annual global circuit of one day
track and field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
competitions organized by the
International Association of Athletics Federations
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
(IAAF). Formed in 2006, it comprised two separate levels of athletics meetings: the first level being the
IAAF Golden League
The IAAF Golden League was an annual series of outdoor track and field meetings organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Athletes who won specific events at all of the series meetings were awarded a jackpot prize, ...
and
IAAF Super Grand Prix
The IAAF Super Grand Prix was an annual series of one-day track and field competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Over the competition's history, a total of nine different meetings were part of the ...
events, and the second comprising
IAAF Grand Prix
The IAAF Grand Prix was an annual, global circuit of one-day outdoor track and field competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was created in 1985 as the IAAF's first seasonal track and field circu ...
events and area permit meetings. It replaced the
IAAF World Outdoor Meetings
The IAAF World Outdoor Meetings were an annual, global circuit of one-day outdoor track and field competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was created in 2003 building upon the IAAF Grand Prix ser ...
series, which had only started three years earlier, and rendered the
IAAF Grand Prix II
The IAAF Grand Prix II was an annual series of one-day track and field competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was introduced in 1993 as an expansion of the IAAF Grand Prix series, adding a second ...
series defunct.
The tour featured twenty-five of the world's premier athletics meetings comprising: six Golden League meetings, five Super Grand Prix meetings and fourteen Grand Prix meetings. There were also 25 or more area permit meetings every year which were run by one of the six
continental athletics associations, which featured some point-scoring events. Athletes collected points at the meetings, dependent upon their finishing position, and the overall points leaders gained entry to the annual
World Athletics Final
The IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the ...
.
[IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final 2009 - Who and how many qualify?]
IAAF
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
(2009-03-069). Retrieved on 2009-09-07.
From 2010 onwards the World Athletics Tour is replaced by the
IAAF Diamond League
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...
and
IAAF World Challenge Meetings.
Editions
The IAAF World Athletics Tour calendar was subject to change during its lifetime, with the number of meetings, the constituent meetings, and the duration of the series all regularly changing from year to year. Athletes received points based on their performances at the meetings on the circuit, with more points being given at the more prestigious and competitive competitions.
From 2006 to 2009, series points could also be scored in certain events at Area Permit Meetings (APMs), although the meetings themselves were not considered a formal part of the series. Area permit meetings were divided by continent as follows:
Asian Grand Prix
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
(Asia),
CAA Grand Prix Series (Africa),
EAA Outdoor Meetings (Europe),
Oceania Area Permit Meetings (Oceania),
NACAC Area Permit Meetings (North America), and
Grand Prix Sudamericano (South America).
A total of five meeting categories existed over the lifetime of the circuit:
* GL :
IAAF Golden League
The IAAF Golden League was an annual series of outdoor track and field meetings organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Athletes who won specific events at all of the series meetings were awarded a jackpot prize, ...
* SGP :
IAAF Super Grand Prix
The IAAF Super Grand Prix was an annual series of one-day track and field competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Over the competition's history, a total of nine different meetings were part of the ...
* GP :
IAAF Grand Prix
The IAAF Grand Prix was an annual, global circuit of one-day outdoor track and field competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was created in 1985 as the IAAF's first seasonal track and field circu ...
* WAF :
IAAF World Athletics Final
The IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the ...
* APM : Area Permit Meeting
Points system
Athletes earned points in each event at the designated IAAF World Athletics Tour meetings. Winning athletes at Grand Prix level meetings earned ten points, while runners-up earned between one and eight points dependent on their finishing position. The Golden League and Super Grand Prix meets were worth twice as many points. Furthermore, athletes may earned additional points at certain area permit meetings.
The athletes with the most points at the end of the season's World Athletics Tour were entered to compete at the
World Athletics Final
The IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the ...
, an event which offers athletes the possibility of substantial earnings.
Meetings
The IAAF World Athletics Tour calendar was subject to change during its lifetime, with the number of meetings, the constituent meetings and the duration of the series all regularly changing from year to year. Athletes received points based on their performances at the meetings on the circuit, with more points being given at the more prestigious and competitive competitions.
*The
2009 IAAF World Athletics Final
The 7th IAAF World Athletics Final was held at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece on September 12 and September 13, 2009. The competition represented the culmination of the 2009 IAAF World Athletics Tour, a selection of athletics m ...
was held in
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
, though it did not replace the annual meeting there
*† The 2006
Shanghai Golden Grand Prix
The Diamond League Shanghai is an annual athletics event at the Shanghai Stadium in Shanghai, China as part of the Diamond League. The meeting was founded as the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix in 2005. The meet assumed its current name in 2010.
From ...
was given IAAF Permit Meeting status for that year (the only meet with that designation) due to it being held after the World Athletics Final.
IAAF Permit Meetings 2006
IAAF (archived). Retrieved 2019-09-25.
References
External links
{{defunct athletics competitions
World Athletics Tour
The IAAF World Athletics Tour was an annual global circuit of one day track and field competitions organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Formed in 2006, it comprised two separate levels of athletics meetings: t ...
Annual athletics series
Defunct athletics competitions