The IAAF birthday will also be marked by a special Monegasgue commemorative postage stamp and first day cover which will be issued to mark 100 years of the association's history.

On the eve of the centenary, representatives of the 17 founding member federations of the IAAF will meet for a special commemorative dinner hosted by IAAF President Lamine Diack and the four vice-presidents in the roof top Horizon Restaurant of the Fairmont Hotel, Monte Carlo.

On July 17, 1912, following the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games in the Stockholm, the International Amateur Athletic Federation – which adopted its current name in 2001 – was founded by 17 nations who saw the need for a world governing authority, a competition programme, standardised rules and technical equipment and a list of official world records.

IAAF centenary celebrations will continue throughout the year.

The World Athletics Gala on November 24 will be the centrepiece of a weekend of celebrations in Barcelona which will be attended by dozens of champions from athletics history.

An IAAF Centenary Historic Exhibition displaying an unrivalled collection of historic athletics memorabilia will also take place in the Catalan capital.

Hosted by the Joan Antoni Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum, it will be open to the public for six weeks in the autumn from October 13 to November 25.

A commemorative book and a television series are also being produced, which along with celebrations such as at the traditional IAAF dinner, that takes place on the eve of the athletics competitions at the London Olympics, will further commemorate the IAAF's special anniversary.

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