RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) – The Diamond Leagues series hopes to increase its popularity by creating a new award for the top male and female athletes each season, a senior athletics official said yesterday.
At present the global circuit, which was introduced this year, has no overall prize, honouring instead the season leaders in each of its 32 disciplines with a trophy and $40,000.
“Thirty-two winners is a lot and we would like to find a couple to move forward,” Patrick Magyar, the vice-chairman of the 14-meeting series, told Reuters in a telephone interview from Zurich.
He said a working group would help decide what criteria should be used to determine the two top athletes. Their prizes would be in addition to the current awards.
Magyar, who is also the organiser of the prestigious Zurich meeting, said organisers were hoping to again sign the sport’s top athletes, including Jamaican world record holder Usain Bolt.