Diamond League Final at Zürich-Brussels

Article posted by Coliseum, May 16^th, 2022

Image: World Athletics

The Wanda Diamond League Final will be held alternately in Zürich (Switzerland) and Brussels (Belgium) between 2024 and 2027.

The ‘World Athletics’ stated that the above announcement was made following a decision by the Diamond League Association’s General Assembly in March.

The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising 14 of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day meeting competitions. The inaugural season was in 2010. It was designed to replace the IAAF Golden League, which had been held annually since 1998. The full sponsorship name is the Wanda Diamond League, the result of an agreement with Wanda Group that was announced in December 2019.

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The ‘World Athletics’ further stated that the hosting rights for the two-day season finale – at which all 32 Diamond League champions are crowned – have been awarded to the Allianz Memorial van Damme meeting in Brussels (Belgium) for 2024 and 2026, and to Weltklasse Zürich (Switzerland) for 2025 and 2027.

The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the 50,093-capacity King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September. Previously, one of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Golden League events, it is now the final event of the Diamond League, along with Weltklasse Zürich.

Weltklasse Zürich is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it now serves as a final of the Wanda Diamond League.

The General Assembly made the decision on the recommendation of the Quality Commission, which reviews applications to host the final.

The Host City is now confirmed for each of the next five Wanda Diamond League seasons, ensuring all stakeholders are able to plan beyond the short term.

The final will be held in Zürich on September 7^th to September 8^th this season, before moving out of Europe, for the first time in the series’ history, to the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene (Oregon, US) in 2023. Zürich was also the host in 2021, becoming the first City to hold the final as a two-day event featuring all 32 Diamond disciplines.

The Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at the 12,900-capacity Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.

As in 2021, future finals held in Zürich will be split between the City and the stadium. Day One will see selected Diamond League champions crowned at the iconic Sechseläutenplatz (largest town square) in Zürich City Centre, while the remaining disciplines will be held as part of a bumper program at the 30,930-capacity Letzigrund Stadium in Zürich on Day Two.

In both Eugene and Brussels, both decisive days will take place at the stadium, the former at the newly renovated Hayward Field, and the latter at the Belgian capital’s King Baudouin II Stadium.

The Memorial Van Damme will celebrate its 50^th anniversary when it hosts the final in 2026.

The Wanda Diamond League Final is the showpiece event of track and field’s premier international one-day circuit and features the biggest stars of the sport.

Athletes compete for points at Wanda Diamond League meetings throughout the season, with the most successful qualifying for a place in the final and a shot at the iconic Diamond Trophy, the most prestigious title in athletics beyond the major championships.

Both the Brussels and the Zürich meetings have a wealth of experience in hosting the showcase event, having been joint hosts between 2010 and 2019, when the final was split between two separate meetings.

Both have also played host to some of the most memorable moments in Diamond League history.

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