Success Of LaLiga Santander Challenge Demonstrates ‘Untapped Potential’ Of Traditional And Esports Convergence

New Insight has revealed the success of the #LaLigaSantanderChallenge, which saw players from 18 of Spain’s 20 top-flight football clubs take part in an online EA Sports FIFA20 tournament across the weekend of March 20-22.

The virtual tournament, organised by Spanish esports personality Ibai Llanos and LaLiga Santander, took place against the backdrop of worldwide lockdown measures to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, which have led to the vast majority of sporting events being postponed, suspended or cancelled.

The performance of the event was analysed across four mediums: the esports streaming service, Twitch; live TV broadcasts; online news coverage; and social media mentions and engagement.

The data, brought together by Nielsen Sports, specialists in sports industry analytics, shows that the tournament performed strongly on Twitch, with the number of viewers growing consistently each day, reaching a minute average of 123,000 on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd. The final, which saw Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio beat Leganés’ Aitor Ruibal 4-2, attracted a peak audience of 173,000 on the platform.

The event was also shown across mainstream broadcast channels Movistar Deportes 1, Gol and #Vamos, attracting a cumulative audience of more than 205,000 over the weekend. The total broadcast coverage lasted more than 23 hours, with the high viewership figures suggesting there are opportunities for brands to capitalise on the enthusiasm of traditional and esports fans via both streaming services and mainstream television.

The data also suggested that traditional sports and associated brands can utilise esports to generate online news coverage in the absence of live, traditional sports. Online news outlets were a significant source of exposure for the event, with interest remaining high from the announcement of the tournament, through to the official draw, line-ups and the event itself. In total, more than 1,100 pieces of online news coverage were generated around the #LaLigaSantanderChallenge, across national and international sports and non-sports media.

The support from traditional broadcasters and high levels of online news coverage, coupled with the large pool of esports enthusiasts tuning in on Twitch, helped drive high levels of social media engagement around the event, particularly on Twitter. The confirmation of an impressive line-up of clubs and individual players helped raise interest further, with the likes of Real Madrid harnessing their huge Twitter following of 33.97m to drive more engagement.

In total the event generated more than 35,000 tweets and retweets, with engagement levels rising consistently over the course of the weekend, peaking during the final. This LaLiga Santander Challenge data was collated by Nielsen Sports, who produced this report on the event.

Umbro Will Become The Official Technical Kit Partner To Bristol Bears

Umbro and Bristol Sport are delighted to confirm a new long-term partnership that will see the English sports brand become Bristol Bears’ Official Technical Kit Partner.

The Partnership between Umbro and Bristol Bears starts on the 1st July 2020, with the English sports brand providing match day kit, training kit and off field wear for the men’s, women’s and Academy teams.

The announcement follows the news that Umbro has become the Official Technical Kit Partner to England Rugby; supplying all match day and training kit, as well as off field wear.

Bristol Sport chairman and Bears director Jon Lansdown said: “We are very proud of the kits that Bristol Sport have produced, over the past six years. Since the Bears rebrand, the innovation shown in designing and creating the team’s jerseys has led to record sales.

“It was important for us to maintain that individual appeal, but also to push on to the next level, which is why the partnership with a globally recognisable brand like Umbro is a great fit.”

“Umbro has been designing performance products for almost a century. Their expertise in logistics, resourcing and scale is going to be a huge asset in helping us to meet demand and to grow the Bears identity and vision.”

Sam Lucas, Head of Sponsorship – Umbro UK, added: “We have stated our intention to credibly support rugby through our partnership with England Rugby. Joining forces with Bristol Bears; an exciting club, on a journey to great things, compliments this on a domestic and regional level. At the same time, the partnership helps us to deepen our connection with the sport, its fans and the wider rugby community.

“The club’s rich history echoes our own. Over the years we have created elite level products and are looking forward to bringing this experience to bear through our relationship with the club.”

TV4 Media To Broadcast UEFA Champions League In Sweden And Finland From 2021

TV4, C More and MTV, which are owned by Telia Company, have acquired exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League in both Sweden and Finland for the period of 2021-2024. “This is the world’s best tournament within the biggest sport in the world. We are extremely proud to be able to offer the UEFA Champions League to our audience. It is a property we know will attract great interest and gather a large audience,” says Casten Almqvist, Head of TV/Media at Telia Company.

TV4 and C More are now further strengthening their sports offering with the world’s premier club football. The tournament with the best teams from Europe’s leagues will be broadcasted exclusively on C More and TV4 in Sweden from autumn 2021. In Finland, MTV has extended its current agreement with UEFA to show the UEFA Champions League until spring 2024.

“The UEFA Champions League has been at the top of our wish list of sports rights for a long time. This is the first example of how TV4 Media with Telia as our owner will raise the bar. The UEFA Champions League will be an important ingredient in creating Sweden’s and Finland’s best TV experiences,” says Casten Almqvist.

All UEFA Champions League games
The UEFA Champions League is one of the world’s strongest sports brands. The rights include all games from the UEFA Champions League such as the play-offs, the group stage and the knockout-stage, including the final. In addition to this, TV4, C More and MTV will broadcast the UEFA Super Cup played between the UEFA Champions League winner and the UEFA Europa League winner, as well as the UEFA Youth League tournament.

Sport is an attractive part of the total offering of TV4, C More and MTV and there is a strong interest in both international and national sports among customers and users. TV4 and C More already broadcast international top football and also have exclusive rights to Sweden’s best hockey league, SHL, until spring 2024. MTV in Finland already broadcasts UEFA Champions League and also has exclusive rights to Finland’s best hockey league, Liiga.

Eurovision Sport Launches New Free To Air ‘Sharing Channel’

Eurovision Sport has launched its new Sharing Channel for EBU Members, with a full slate of top sports content available for our Members to download free of charge, and, in many cases, with the rights already cleared on their behalf.

The initiative comes with European countries still subject to lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning a continuing freeze on hosting international sports events in most territories. However, rights owners are being encouraged to consider using the channel to gain visibility for their national events, as they come back on stream. These could include innovative new formats, such as e-Sports competitions.

Content available between 11 and 15 May includes a range of Olympic sports such as cycling (classic stages of the 2011 Tour de France, plus highlights from recent UCI BMX World Championships), athletics (highlights from the 2019 World Championships), swimming (highlights from the inaugural edition of the International Swimming League), canoeing (ICF World Cup highlights) and a variety of sport-themed shows.

Other themed content includes sports less familiar to the Eurovision Sport portfolio, such as motor sports (FIA Formula Regional International Championship Europe ), with touring car racing, women’s sport and extreme and e-Sports strands also in the pipeline, plus a range of other top Olympic sports content, including triathlon, gymnastics and equestrian sport.

EBU Members are being encouraged to contribute to the channel with content ideas, including:
•    Their two best sports documentaries (Eurovision Sport would assess and clear any rights required for pan-European exploitation);
•    The best and most innovative formats they have used over the past weeks to exploit sport content.

Meanwhile, access to the platform of WOCHIT, Eurovision Sport’s technical partner, has been extended to all EBU Members, giving them the opportunity to browse dedicated short clips and relevant sports content for Social Media.

Rights owners including LEN, the European Swimming Federation, and ÖSV, the Austrian Skiing Association, have shared short-form content from their top athletes on the platform in recent days.

An Editorial Board including EBU Members and EBU permanent services (from Eurovision Sport, Eurovision News and Eurovision Services) has been created in order to:
•    Drive the mid- to long-term programming of the Eurovision Sport Sharing Channel;
•    Offer relevant additional content from Members, such as national sporting events and documentaries;
•    Stimulate the exchange of technical solutions to adapt and enrich content, such as remote editing, commentary, etc;
•    Stimulate an exchange of programme formats and ideas on how Members can engage audiences through archive usage.

Eurovision Sport’s goal is to maintain the Editorial Board in the future to continue exchanges of best practice.

Franck Choquard, Eurovision Sport’s Head of Content & Servicing, said: “With no more live international sports events scheduled in the next few months, the Eurovision Sport Sharing Channel has been created to provide a resource for alternative sports scheduling content on behalf of our Members. With a range of themed sports programming scheduled, plus some unique sports documentaries, the channel offers both rights-owners and our Members the chance to air sports content that will continue to engage audiences across Europe.

“What’s more, we hope that this initiative will provoke an exchange of content, ideas and best practice between Members and the sports community that will continue to be of value long after the present crisis has abated.”

Runar Østmo, Chair of the EBU Sports Committee, added: “At this special and critical time, with populations across Europe subject to lockdown, the ability of Public-Service media to reach into every home has never been clearer. On behalf of EBU members, I welcome the Eurovision Sport Sharing Channel initiative, which underlines the value of being part of our union, enabling us to share top sports content at a time when live coverage is unavailable. I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank all of our partner federations who have agreed to share their valuable archives with Eurovision Sport to make this happen.”

Cédric Rampelberg, Head of Media Rights at ASO, owner of the Tour de France and other top cycling races, said: “It is our pleasure to provide, in collaboration with INA, access to our comprehensive video archive of cycling’s most historic and prestigious race to our friends and partners, the Members of the EBU. Through public service media, we can be sure that exciting and unforgettable moments from classic stages of the Tour de France are shared as widely as possible across Europe, and continue to provide inspiration and consolation to TV audiences at this difficult time.”

Twitch Co-Founder A New Investor In Sleeper As App Launches New Esports Fantasy Game

Twitch co-Founder Kevin Lin and Juju Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers wide-receiver, have joined the likes of NBA superstar Kevin Durant in investing in Sleeper.

At the same time the company has also announced they are expanding to release a brand new Esports fantasy game covering the League of Legends platform.

A statement released by Nan Wang, Sleeper’s Co-Founder and CEO, said:

“Sleeper has been the fastest organically growing sports app in the U.S. over the last two years, despite only previously offering one game—fantasy football. We surpassed 1 million active players on the platform in 2019, and the tremendous response has energized us to keep rolling out new sports.

“To turn this vision into reality, we raised a new $20 million investment led by Andreessen Horowitz and with participation from some of the best in business and sports.  New and existing investors also include 10x NBA All-Star and 2x NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and Thirty Five Ventures co-Founder Rich Kleiman, 2x NBA All-Star Baron Davis, NFL Pro Bowler JuJu Smith-Schuster, ESPN basketball analyst Ros Gold Onwude, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund, and prior investors General Catalyst, Birchmere Ventures, and Rainfall.

“The new investment allows us to grow our team and continue bringing new games onto the platform. We already started working on fantasy basketball for the NBA and a tournament game for March Madness. However, like much of the world these days, we’ve had to adjust our plan.

“Fantasy esports was always on our roadmap. Most of the team at Sleeper are avid gamers and esports fans. With traditional sports on hold, we decided to hit fast forward and launch a fantasy game for the upcoming League of Legends season.

“The launch of fantasy League of Legends is an exciting milestone for our company. LoL is the third-most popular professional sports league in the U.S. among 18-34-year-olds, yet a fantasy experience does not exist. We see tremendous opportunity to define this experience on a platform that will feel familiar to gamers. Staying connected has never been more important, and we hope fantasy esports will provide users with a fun new outlet to spend time with family and friends.

“The new investment means that Sleeper will be here as a place for you and your friends to connect, both today as you explore a new world of fantasy esports, and in the future when traditional sports return.

“We’d like to close with a heartfelt thank you to all of our team, our users, and our investors for supporting Sleeper’s mission to help people build genuine friendships through sports, and now esports as well.”

 

Verizon Media Signs Global Partnership With Football Digital Media Company Dugout

Verizon Media and Dugout today announce a new global partnership, bringing Verizon Media new exclusive advertising packages to market through its sales teams and self-serve Demand Side Platform, allowing advertisers to reach Dugout’s audience of 60 million unique users of highly engaged football enthusiasts across the globe.

As part of the deal, Yahoo Sports also gains access to Dugout’s ever-growing library of football-related videos brought together from the top leagues’ world-class clubs globally, including; Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC, FC Bayern Munich, FC Internazionale Milano, AFC Ajax, FC Barcelona, Flamengo, Real Madrid CF and many more.

This builds on the Yahoo portfolio of up-to-the-minute sports content from partners across the world and brings football fans on Yahoo closer to their favourite club’s official content – both past and present – as they await the re-opening of global leagues.

Dugout works with football clubs, leagues and federations to help repackage, distribute and monetise their video content. Through Dugout’s team of editors, a club’s brand-safe video is repurposed and localised into digestible videos for digital fans across the world. Once published to the club’s Dugout library, the video is distributed across all of Dugout’s O&O platforms and embedded network of premium publishers globally, reaching a qualified digital football audience.

Verizon Media’s expertise in digital media will enable brands to reach Dugout’s highly-engaged football fans in premium environments. This new inventory will be enriched as part of its broader proposition of premium owned & operated brands and beyond with its unique, unified Verizon Media Ad Platforms technology; allowing brands to optimise their campaigns against outcome-based deliverables using the combination of quality ad formats and powerful first party data.

Iván Markman, Chief Business Officer at Verizon Media said: “This new partnership, driven by our EMEA team, not only brings fantastic quality video content for Yahoo’s football fans globally, but also allows us to connect our advertising customers to millions more football fans around the world.

“It’s the world’s favourite sport and inspires huge loyalty and engagement on a daily basis, which hasn’t changed in recent times as people catch up on archive content and rewatch their favourite matches. We are looking forward to helping brands reach these audiences in quality premium environments where they can connect and showcase the value their company can bring to these fans.”

Elliot Richardson, Chairman at Dugout said: “This partnership delivers significant value across Dugout’s stakeholders, supporting not only our clubs and fans but publishers, bringing Verizon Media’s global advertising power to our ecosystem.

“It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for our stakeholders, supporting international and regional advertisers with highly engaged audiences, working together with our publishers who produce a wealth of premium content and our premium video from the world’s top clubs, and most importantly of course, for the fans – delivering the best experience for them globally.”

Kukri Sports Back As Official Team England Kit Supplier For Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

With just over two years to go until the next Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, Team England have announced that Kukri Sports will be the home nation’s official kit supplier for the third consecutive Commonwealth Cycle.

Kukri Sports have designed and produced Team England kit for the last two Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast 2018 and Glasgow 2014 and have been brought back on board for a home Games. As part of the deal, Kukri will create the kit that athletes will represent their country in, encompassing 19 different sports, including eight para sports.

In keeping athletes at the forefront of the design process, Team England and Kukri have today hosted a virtual athlete panel. Each National Governing Body that represent Team England athletes in Birmingham 2022 were invited to nominate up to two athletes to be involved in creating the design for the kit and be part of creating the Team England identity.

The panel, held via a virtual video conference, included 23 elite English athletes from 17 of the 19 Birmingham 2022 sports. Also joining in their capacity as Commonwealth Games England board members, were the three athlete representatives, Aimee Willmott, Ama Agbeze and Ali Jawad. In addition, Commonwealth Games England President, Denise Lewis OBE, took part in the panel. She said:

“It’s fantastic that athletes have agreed to give up their time and contribute to such an integral part of Team England’s identity.  

“The look, feel and the general WOW factor of the team kit for our home Games in 2022 is so important. When it comes to kit, each sport has specific requirements and needs, therefore the functionality of the apparel produced has to be right. It’s also important that we look and feel like ‘One Team’.”

Originally, the kit panel was due to take place in person, with Team England bringing together athletes from Commonwealth sports. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been held virtually for the first time. In both Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018, athletes were involved in the kit design, but over double the number of athletes have joined ahead of the 2022 Games kit design, with athletes at the forefront of planning more than ever before.

Each athlete was sent a design package consisting of a design book with blank sketch pages and coloured pencils which they filled in and fed back to the team.

Athletes were given an overview on the kit development process between Kukri and Team England over the last two Games cycles in Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 and were asked to provide feedback on previous Games kit as well as the first design concepts for Birmingham 2022. Following on from today’s panel, the athletes will remain involved along every step of the way as the design concept develops.

Paul Blanchard, CEO of Commonwealth Games England, said:

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Kukri Sports again for Birmingham 2022. With a home Games, we know our kit has to be impactful and create a strong image of our Team England values but most importantly the athletes need to feel comfortable in what they perform in. The process we’ve been through with Kukri over the last two cycles has worked to refine our kit with a focus on performance and we will build on that to show off our best in Birmingham. 

“It’s been incredible, given the unprecedented impact of Covid-19 that we have been able to engage with so many athletes in an innovative way and I would like to thank our partner Governing Bodies for their support in this process.

“The size of our kit project is huge with the complex nature of accommodating for 19 different sports, including eight para sports, and over 600 people and Kukri have proven time and time again that they are up for the challenge. We’re really looking forward to seeing the designs come to life after today and we can’t wait to share it.”

For the Gold Coast 2018 cycle, 38,000 items of kit were produced by Kukri for Team England as they travelled across to Australia, where the athletes returned with 136 medals.

Chris Marshall, Director of Sales at Kukri Sports, said:

“We are delighted to be working with Team England for the 2022 Games, which will be our third cycle alongside the team. As an English brand working towards a home Games, this collaboration has been made all the more special.

“Our renewed partnership has been the culmination of a project undertaken after the Gold Coast Games in 2018. We have always been proud of our heritage in providing truly bespoke apparel, however in 2018 we knew we had to be innovative and bold in developing a new capability and product range to work with Team England again, as they prepare for Birmingham.

“The England team want to be at the pinnacle of their performance at every competition, so we developed with them. With this in mind, the range we are designing, with the input of the Team England athletes, will be a new chapter in the company’s history and one we cannot wait to launch.”

The kit design, which will be worn by over 600 athletes and staff at Birmingham 2022 will be revealed ahead of the Games when the athlete vision is brought to light.

Premier League Lacrosse Partners With Genius Sports Group

The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) has announced a partnership with Genius Sports Group as its Official Data and Integrity Partner for sports betting. Through this partnership, Genius Sports Group will power a host of live betting markets on the PLL for the first time, providing sportsbook operators in the U.S. and globally with critical new content.

The partnership with Genius Sports Group is the culmination of the PLL’s desire to offer real-time betting markets to enhance the in-game fan experience. Sportsbook operators will be provided with the fastest, most accurate and reliable data on the upcoming PLL Championship Series and future PLL events, expanding lacrosse’s global reach and audience.

As the trusted integrity partner to the English Premier League, PGA and LPGA Tours, Genius Sports will also help to protect the PLL from any betting-related corruption through its leading educational and advisory services.

“Today is a landmark day for not only the Premier Lacrosse League, but the sport of lacrosse,” says PLL Co-Founder & CEO Mike Rabil. “We feel like the PLL is the most innovative sports league in the world and today is another testament to the hard work of our leadership team. We’ve partnered with the premier data provider in Genius Sports and will continue to work closely with top-tier operators to ensure a first-in-class experience for betters. With the addition of legalized sports wagering in the PLL, the PLL fan experience just got better.”

“The Genius Sports team has a proven track record of success in working with leagues to launch sports betting platforms”, says Rabil. “Our partnership will offer services that span integrity education services, data collection and distribution as we work with state regulators and authorized gaming operators to cover the PLL.”

Mark Locke, CEO of Genius Sports Group, said: “Being selected by the PLL to launch their live wagering offer is testament to the quality and breadth of Genius Sports Group’s sports technology solutions. The PLL is committed to delivering the ultimate digital fan experience with sports wagering providing a new competitive outlet to interact with every play of every game. We’re thrilled to be partnering with such an innovative and forward-thinking league, representing one of America’s most popular and respected sports.”

In addition, the PLL has recently announced that it has secured distinguished gaming executives Sara Slane and A.G. Burnett as advisors. Slane previously served as the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the American Gaming Association (AGA) for over five years where she oversaw the effort to legalize sports betting in America.

On May 6th, The Premier Lacrosse League announced the return of professional lacrosse with the launch of the PLL Championship Series Powered by Ticketmaster, a two-week quarantined and fanless tournament scheduled to run from July 25th – August 9th on NBC and NBC Sports.

AC Milan Announces Skrill As Official Global Payments Partner

AC Milan and Skrill have today revealed details of their new four year partnership deal which sees Skrill become the Club’s Official Global Payments Partner.  

Although the deal was signed some weeks ago, and the Skrill name has already appeared in the San Siro stadium on several occasions, both parties were reluctant to talk about marketing activities at a time when both the Club and Italy were enduring the devastating arrival and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.  Instead, both Skrill and AC Milan refocused their efforts and found ways to support the local community, putting the partnership activation plans on a temporary hold.

While the COVID-19 crisis is far from over, following the return to training last week, the two companies feel the time is now right to talk more about their collaboration and their hopes for players and fans that football matches will soon make a come back in some capacity. 

Founded in 2001, Skrill is a leader in digital payments providing a platform which supports multiple payment methods including credit cards, prepaid cards and real-time banking solutions in over 100 countries. Merchant using Skrill are able to promote their services to millions of Skrill users around the world. Furthermore, Skrill provides chargeback protection to merchants, so payments accepted using its platform are guaranteed. Skrill is part of Paysafe, a leading specialised payments platform.

Skrill has a track record of supporting football as well as other popular sports and identified AC Milan as an ideal partner, given the highly relevant profile of the team’s fan base and followers around the world, combined with Skrill’s general popularity in Italy.  

As part of the partnership agreement, Skrill has become the preferred payments partner for AC Milan merchandise sales and is a live payments option on its international online store which serves fans around the world.  The partnership also means that Skrill branding will be prominently displayed at all AC Milan home matches and promoted on an ongoing basis across the club’s online channels including its website and official App, as well as its hugely popular social media channels. 

Skrill has additionally been integrated into Vivaticket giving fans the option of using Skrill’s digital wallet when buying match tickets and other AC Milan experiences once they resume. 

According to Skrill CEO, Lorenzo Pellegrino an Italian national, “It has been heart-breaking to see this devastating situation unfold in my home country and then around the world and the timing just wasn’t right to talk about our partnership. Instead, we refocused our efforts on supporting the local community and dropped our fees on our Skrill money transfer service for anyone who wanted to send money to loved ones in Italy from outside of the country.  

Pellegrino added: “Now, in the hope that football is going to make some sort of comeback in the not too distant future, we feel the timing is right to talk openly about our deep support of the Club.  I’m confident there will be good times ahead and we will emerge from this crisis stronger and more resilient than ever.  We’re absolutely thrilled to be the Club’s new payments partner and will continue to seek ways to add value to the Club’s payment ecosystem.”

Casper Stylsvig, AC Milan’s Chief Revenue Officer added: “We are delighted to welcome Skrill to our growing family of partners and look forward to promoting its leading digital payments offering to our millions of fans and followers around the world.  We share many synergies, with both of our organisations being driven by ambition, focus and results . As we look to the future and an on-pitch return, we are committed to working closely with Lorenzo and his team to make this a winning partnership for all concerned.  Bringing global brands such as Skrill on board is an integral part of our strategy to bring this club back to where it deserves to be.”

Luca Montebugnoli, Executive Chairman of Vivaticket commented: “As we hopefully return to some sort of normality over the coming weeks and months, our customers more than ever will be looking for the widest choice of payment options when buying their tickets and experiences on our platform.  Over these recent weeks, people have become even more attuned to using digital payment methods such as those provided by Skrill and we’re really pleased to be adding their solutions as part of our offering.”

Skrill branding was first activated in the San Siro stadium in February and has already driven significant incremental traffic to Skrill’s website and social media channels.  

Wanda Diamond League Announces New Provisional 2020 Calendar

The Wanda Diamond League today announces a shortened, provisional calendar for late summer and autumn 2020. Several events will be rescheduled, others cancelled as organisers continue to adapt the season in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

The Wanda Diamond League today announces a shortened, provisional calendar for late summer and autumn 2020. Several events will be re-scheduled, others cancelled as organisers continue to adapt the season in the face of the coronavirus crisis.

In recent weeks, the Wanda Diamond League has been forced to suspend a number of its meetings as a result of health and logistical concerns brought about by the global coronavirus crisis.

The meeting organisers, the Wanda Diamond League and World Athletics have remained committed to staging competitions athletes can compete in and fans can enjoy athletics as soon as the global pandemic allows.

With this in mind – and with an eye on the range of pandemic-related restrictions currently in place across the world, the decision has been made to propose an alternative calendar for the 2020 season.

This provisional calendar will see a number of Wanda Diamond League meetings go ahead as one-off, exhibition events, while others will be staged as adapted Wanda Diamond League meetings. There will be no events in July and the first half of August (other than National Championships where possible), and the season will instead be extended into October.

The 2020 Wanda Diamond League will not be a structured series of events leading to a final as is usually the case. Given the current discrepancies in training and travel opportunities, it would be impossible to ensure a level playing field and a fair qualification system during 2020. 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.

The uncertainty over future government restrictions and timings in the different host countries requires flexibility and adaptability on the part of meeting organisers when planning, staging and offering competition opportunities to athletes.

Each meeting organiser will review and announce the format of their competition and which disciplines are included two months before the event takes place so they can work with the prevailing conditions set by their Governments.

This two-month window will also help to give athletes time to prepare mentally, stay motivated and adjust training for competition. Some meeting organisers might choose to stage their events in innovative, alternative formats and/or under social distancing regulations.

The new provisional dates for Wanda Diamond League events in 2020 are as follows:

In August: Monaco (14th), Gateshead (16th) and Stockholm (23rd).

In September: Lausanne (2nd), Brussels (4th), Paris (6th tbc), (Rome/Naples (17th), Shanghai (19th)
In October: Eugene (4th), Doha (9th), a second meeting in China (17th, venue tba).

The following events have been cancelled: Rabat (31st May, suspended in March), London (scheduled for 4th July) and Zurich (9th-11th September). The latter would have been staged as the Wanda Diamond League Final.

Due to the extraordinary situation in 2020 and the re-structuring of the entire season, Zurich has been granted by the General Assembly of Diamond League the right to stage the finals in 2021 and 2022. This was possible after Eugene gave consent for the final of 2022 – previously awarded to them –  to be shifted by one year to 2023.