The 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour calendar has been printed, with two months to go till the primary Gold stage assembly of the season in Australia.
Greater than 190 conferences are included in subsequent yr’s tour, which is split into 4 ranges – Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Challenger. The standing of every assembly is set by the standard of the competitors and the prize cash on provide.
The tour’s prime tier contains 12 occasions unfold throughout 5 of the six continental areas. The total calendar additionally at present contains 27 Silver, 62 Bronze and 89 Challenger conferences and shall be added to because the season progresses.
Gold-level motion kicks off in Melbourne, Australia, on 15 February when the Maurie Plant Meet will once more welcome a few of the world’s prime athletes to the Victorian capital. Amongst them shall be Britain’s 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman. In February of this yr, greater than 7500 followers packed into the Lakeside Stadium to see athletes corresponding to 2022 world 100m champion Fred Kerley open their season, and ticket demand for subsequent yr means that one other full stadium is in anticipated.
After Melbourne, the subsequent Gold stage assembly takes place in Gaborone in Botswana on 14 April, earlier than stops in Nairobi in Kenya (20 April), Los Angeles within the USA (18 Might), Tokyo in Japan (19 Might), and Ostrava in Czechia (28 Might).
As athletes proceed their preparations for the Olympic Video games in Paris in August, the Gold tour will proceed on to New York within the USA (9 June), Turku in Finland (18 June), Bydgoszcz in Poland (21 June), Hengelo within the Netherlands (7 July) and Szekesfehervar in Hungary (9 July).
Following the Olympics, Zagreb in Croatia will welcome athletes for the ultimate Continental Tour Gold assembly of the season on 8 September.
In 2023, 15,552 athletes from 173 international locations competed within the Continental Tour, setting one world file, 9 space information, 181 nationwide information, and 5610 private bests.
Highlights included USA’s Ryan Crouser enhancing his personal world shot put file to 23.56m in Los Angeles, New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs taking the Oceania 100m file to 10.97 after which 10.96 in Sydney and La Chaux-de-Fonds, respectively, and USA’s Brooke Andersen changing into the third girl to surpass 80 meters within the hammer with a throw of 80.17m in Tucson.
USA’s KC Lightfoot cleared 6.07m to interrupt the North American pole vault file in Nashville, whereas Kenya’s world 3000m steeplechase record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech set a world 2000m steeplechase better of 5:47.42 to make sure that the 2023 Continental Tour Gold season ended on a excessive in Zagreb.
At present, TV rights for the 2024 Gold-level conferences have been bought in 145 territories throughout the globe. For territories the place broadcast protection is just not accessible both reside or as delayed highlights, a reside stream shall be proven on the World Athletics YouTube channel.
Gold-level conferences within the 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour
15 February – Maurie Plant Meet, Melbourne (AUS)
14 April – Botswana Golden Grand Prix, Gaborone (BOT)
20 April – Kip Keino Traditional, Nairobi (KEN)
18 Might – USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, Los Angeles (USA)
19 Might – Seiko Golden Grand Prix, Tokyo (JPN)
28 Might – Ostrava Golden Spike, Ostrava (CZE)
9 June – USATF New York Metropolis Grand Prix, New York (USA)
18 June – Paavo Nurmi Video games, Turku (FIN)
21 June – Irena Szewinska Memorial, Bydgoszcz (POL)
7 July – FBK Video games, Hengelo (NED)
9 July – Gyulai István Memorial, Szekesfehervar (HUN)
8 September – Memorial Borisa Hanzekovica, Zagreb (CRO)
Full 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour calendar
