A new ranking system for international track and field (IAAF) is to be established and introduced next year. This system will determine how athletes qualify for the World Championships in 2019 and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
On Friday, the IAAF said details of the new ranking system will be finalized in the first quarter of 2018.
Points scoring system
Under the new system, athletes’ positions in the IAAF World Rankings will be based upon the points they score. The score will be determined by their performance and place and the importance of the competition in the IAAF global calendar in which those results are achieved.
To shape global competition system
“The IAAF World Rankings will drive and shape the global competition system, including entry into the World Championships and Olympic Games,” said IAAF President Lord Sebastian Coe.
“For the first time in the sport’s history, athletes, media and fans will have a clear understanding of the hierarchy of competitions from national, through to area, and up to global events, allowing them to follow a logical season-long path to the pinnacle of athletics’ top two competitions.”
The new system is the product of an exclusive partnership between the IAAF and Elite Ltd (All Athletics).
The MOU signed between the IAAF and Elite Ltd covers the build, management, and maintenance of a new IAAF results and statistics database, and subsequently, the development of the official IAAF World Rankings system.
A root and branch review of athletics’ global calendar and all competitions within the sport – from championships to one-day meetings, road running, cross-country events etc. – has been discussed by IAAF President Sebastian Coe since the reforms were passed at the end of 2016 to help athletes better compete and for fans to follow the sport they love. A series of meetings, discussions, and consultation forums have been set up to look at the calendar and competition formats. This work will continue in 2018.
For more on IAAF rankings, click the link: Bolt’s sprint records rated as top moments in history
