It was announced on Wednesday that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will be cutting four track and field events from next year’s Diamond League schedule. These events will include the men’s and women’s discus, 3,000m steeplechase, triple jump, and the hotly contested 200m sprint. This will take the standard 32 events competed, down to 24. The IAAD had already announced it would be ditching both the 5,000m and 10,000m disciplines from its schedule back in March of this year. Of course, this all but killed world distance competition on the televised track circuit and may have sent a majority of the world’s best runners to road racing.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Diamond League (DL), it is traditionally a 14 to 15 meeting series that was designed to "enhance the worldwide appeal of athletics by going outside Europe for the first time." It is held yearly in locations across the globe, featuring some of the best athletes in the sport. It’s a big deal for professional Athletics. While there are other venues and track meets held across the globe, a majority of them will not house the same amount of talent. To put it into perspective, 5 world records and 9 area or national records have been broken since its inception in 2010.

The IAAF has removed events in an attempt to decrease TV broadcast time (cut down to 90 minutes), while simultaneously helping to increase viewership by making it more exciting.

Sebastian Coe, the IAAF DL chairman said: “Our objective is to create a faster-paced, more exciting global league that will be the showcase for our sport. A league that broadcasters want to show and fans want to watch.”

The DL General Assembly met and concluded that this was the most appropriate course of action based on research from broadcast data as well as polls from fans, coaches, and athletes in the sport.

This has sparked disapproval from several premier athletes in each of these events, including the United States’ two-time Olympic, four-time World, seven-time DL champion, and American record holder, Christian Taylor (triple jump). The U.S. also has a world champion, Olympic bronze medallist, American record holder, and top-three finisher at the DL in Emma Coburn (steeplechase). As well as recently crowned World Champion and four-time DL Champion, Noah Lyles (200m).

As most could guess, the sport of track and field, or Athletics as it’s called almost everywhere outside the U.S., has never been a particularly popular sport. A general lack of marketing outside of the Olympic Games, the long format, lack of money, and scarce support, have done the sport of sports no justice in its profound and expansive history. Many who are talented often “participate“ in Athletics at younger ages, only to switch to a sport that garners a significantly larger paycheck for a similar effort. Yet some of the best athletes in all of sports still choose to lace up their spikes to try to set feats beyond previous human ability, only to be unseen and underappreciated by sports broadcasters and casual sports fans the world over (especially the U.S.!).

The following list was provided by sportsshow.net and showcases the world’s most popular sports as of 2019. I don’t see Athletics on this list, do you?

While the DL series has seemingly ditched these tremendous athletes, according to the IAAF, it’s not a complete bust. It was stated that “both the 200m and the 3000m Steeplechase will be included in 10 meetings (5 male and 5 female) in the 2020 Diamond League season, including Oslo, Rome, and Doha. Two meetings will also feature discus and triple jump (1 female and 1 male). However, none of the four disciplines will feature in the Diamond League Final in 2020.”

Learn more about the Diamond League at https://www.diamondleague.com/home/

Is it understandable that elite athletes such as the ones above be upset that the event they compete in will be removed from their competitive schedule and taken off the air? Absolutely. Like any other sport, these athletes make their living off their ability to compete, and what better way to do that than in a setting that supplies premier venues and the best of the best? I’d bet not many athletes would want to play in the Super Bowl game if it were held at a high school football stadium and between only half of both team’s starters (it’s just an analogy, don’t get too upset).

The Diamond League offers an opportunity for some to not only get in high-level competition to hone themselves for the bigger goal of the Olympic Games and World Championships but also to be seen on the circuit and make a name for themselves — potentially even pick up a sponsor if they didn’t have one already. What I loved so much about the DL, is how it almost brought back more frequent meetings between big names to compete against. Many rivalries may be choked off as the number of competitions these athletes can see each other begins to dwindle, and it doesn’t help them by not competing against other athletes so as to better devise strategies for competition or teach them to handle the stressors of a big televised meet.

Well, if you’re like me and you thought it was all doom and gloom from here because of that assumption, you might just be wrong as well. It was also announced recently that the DL is expanding its program to include a new and “enhanced global series of one-day meetings”. This will be entitled the World Athletics Continental Tour which is said to provide similar world-class competition, chances to score ranking points toward qualifying for championships, feature events like the ones removed from the DL, and be broadcast globally. While the statements provided also point out “earning opportunities“, I’m uncertain if that pertains to ranking points or athlete’s financial compensation at this point in time (I would assume prize money is included). What it does sound like, though, is an offshoot of the now-defunct IAAF World Athletics Tour.

Sadly, the DL happens to be how many high-profile athletes make money on ‘off years’ where there are no major championships. By removing their event, those athletes are losing the only opportunity to compete to win the Diamond League and take home a large check. This is why I hope the new World Athletics Continental Tour is properly funded by the new sponsor (Wanda Group) and prepared to pay athletes for their hard work and success in the sport.

“After the first 12 meetings, the athletes with the most points will earn a spot in one of the two IAAF Diamond League finals. Winners of each discipline in the finals will become the Diamond League champions, securing a US$50,000 cash prize, a spectacular Diamond Trophy, and a wild card entry to the IAAF World Athletics Championships…“ - Diamond League official documentation

There has been plenty of criticism directed at Sebastian Coe over the last 5 years. Between this, the Russian doping scandal, Adidas terminating its sponsorship four years early, and the recent changes to how the track and field athletes will qualify for the Olympic Games, things are surely getting heated. By removing these events from the most currently viewable meets of the year, it may take away these athlete’s public visibility and interest, potentially bruising the events themselves when it comes to championship contests. I suppose we will see…but I for one, wouldn’t want to remove an electric personality like Noah Lyles from the main stage when so few people already turn their heads toward other sports.

As of now, the following events have not, or will no longer be a part of the DL: decathlon/heptathlon, 5k, 10k, discus, 200m, steeplechase, triple jump, hammer throw, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay.

What are your thoughts on the DL dropping these events and the new World Athletics Continental Tour? Would you be pissed? How do those from other sports feel about Track and Field as a sport and its treatment of athletes? What could we do to get it to rise in popularity? Comment below!