The 29-year-old Frenchman is the only athlete to have been overall Diamond League champion in their event on every occasion since the competition launched in 2010, and tomorrow night he takes on a field which includes the 22-year-old Canadian who beat him to the world title in Beijing last year, Shawnacy Barber.

“Euro 2016 is more than a sports event,” said Lavillenie as he sat alongside the young Canadian at the pre-event press conference in Oslo’s City Hall.

“It is really important for everyone to try to be there for this big French sporting event after all the bad things we have had in France in the last few months.

“I hope it is going to be a great thing for the people to enjoy - it is an important competition for the French players and the nation.”

Regarding his own imminent competition, Lavillenie said: “My goal is to win tomorrow and defend my lead in the Diamond Race.”

Lavillenie arrives in Oslo having beaten Barber in his last Diamond League meeting in Eugene on May 28, when both reached 5.81 but the Frenchman won on countback.

Lavillenie’s best this season is 5.83, which he recorded on May 14 as he lost at the Shanghai Diamond League meeting to the American who leads this year’s world standings with 5.92, Sam Kendricks.

“I think me and Renaud both want the world lead and both want to take it away from that Kendricks guy,” said Barber with a grin.

Kenya’s world 1500m champion Asbel Kiprop will seek his fifth Bislett Dream Mile title, with fellow Kenyan Elijah Manangoi, the world silver medallist, and Algeria’s Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi looking the men most likely to frustrate that ambition.

Kiprop produced one of the performances of the day at the Birmingham Diamond League on Sunday in running a meeting record and 2016 world-leading 1500m time of 3min 29.33sec.

 “I have had three days recovery and it is good weather so far, so I feel ready and capable of running my personal best,” he said.

 “After the race here I go back to Kenya for three weeks preparation for the Kenyan trials and then, hopefully, Rio.

"It will not be easy because we have so many talented runners but I will try my best.”

Having been awarded the Olympic gold for the 1500m in 2008 after the original winner, Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi, tested positive for doping, Kiprop feels this is added motivation to succeed.

“The sweetest moment for any athlete is to win Olympic gold and have the national anthem played in the stadium.

“It is every athlete’s dream.

“Being denied this in Beijing has given me extra motivation to work hard and achieve that dream.”

The women’s 200m will present another keen rivalry with the meeting of the athletes who took gold and silver respectively over that distance at last year’s IAAF World Championships. Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands and Elaine Thompson of Jamaica.

Meanwhile in the women's 100m hurdles, Australia's Olympic champion Sally Pearson, just getting her season underway after missing last year with injury, is due to race the women who took silver behind her in London 2012 - and behind whom she took silver at the Beijing 2008 Games - Dawn Harper-Nelson.

For the 32-year-old Harper-Nelson, this represents one of the last chances to tune up for the US Olympic trails, where she will face a unique gathering of high hurdles talent - four different Americans other than herself share the nine fastest times set so far this year, and two of them, Jasmin Stowers and 2013 world champion Brianna Rollins, are also in the field.

As always, there will be a special appreciation in the Bislett Stadium for the javelin event,, where Kenya’s world champion Julius Yego will be seeking his first Diamond League win against a field that includes the Diamond Race leader Thomas Rohler of Germany and close challenger Ihab Abdelrahman of Egypt.