The Wanda Diamond League today announces further alterations to its provisional 2020 calendar, with the cancellation of two meetings and a further event pushed back until the autumn.
The Meeting de Paris, provisionally scheduled for 6th September, will not take place this season. Following the latest government announcements on the organisation of major events in France, meeting organisers concluded that there is not enough time to organise a world-class international event in the French capital this year.
Paris’ well-loved Wanda Diamond League meeting will return in 2021, at a time when it is able once again to mobilise volunteers and welcome international stars.
In Eugene, the 2020 Prefontaine Classic has also been cancelled. The state of Oregon currently has a ban on large gatherings -- including sporting events -- and that restriction will be in place until at least the end of September. The ban, combined with the expected long term restrictions on international travel, makes it seemingly impossible for the organiser to host a world class track & field meet in front of the Hayward Field faithful on 4th October.
The 2021 Prefontaine Classic is scheduled to be held on 29th May 2021, and will provide the opportunity for the University of Oregon to properly introduce the new Hayward Field to track & field fans around the world.
British Athletics’ meeting in Gateshead, originally scheduled for 16th August, has been postponed by just under a month.
Following the latest UK government guidelines, the event will be moved to 12th September, with a view to hopefully having more opportunities allowing for international travel of athletes.
Due to the ongoing global health situation and ever-changing regulations, the 2020 Wanda Diamond League calendar remains provisional and subject to further changes.
The meeting organisers, the Wanda Diamond League and World Athletics remain committed to staging competitions athletes can compete in and fans can enjoy athletics as far as the global pandemic allows.
The 2020 Wanda Diamond League will not be a structured series of events leading to a final as is usually the case. Athletes will therefore not earn Diamond League points this season, and there will not be a single, 24-discipline final in Zurich as originally planned.
