An IAAF spokesman told insidethegames that the rankings - the full detail of which has yet to be fixed - could become an effective means of judging which athletes should be rewarded at the end of the season.

The rankings, which could also be used to determine issues such as World Championship qualification, have received a cautious welcome from several of the 70 or so athletes who have arrived in Monaco for the Awards ceremony.

World 3,000 metre steeplechase champion Emma Coburn is in favour of both ideas.

"The United States is incredibly deep in most events, so I think it would favour us in general as a track team," she said.

"So I think rankings would be great because we would have more people from the United States on the starting line.

"I would also be in favour of the season ending with the World Championships.

"I personally have a hard time mentally in rallying back after a Worlds or an Olympics.

"Every year I tell myself 'okay, fire yourself up', but there are just subconscious layers in you that have a hard time getting back up."

But world 400m hurdles champion Kori Carter pointed out potential problems in a ranking system.

"If you are a marathon runner or a decathlete, it is going to be very hard to equate with other athletes who compete more regularly," the American said.

"We aren't tennis, we have different meets with different events.

"So maybe people who only compete a few times may not get to go to the Worlds."

World 100m hurdles record holder Kendra Harrison is also in favour of the season ending at a high point.

"Mentally it's hard to compete after a World Championships," said the American.

"Who wants another game after the Super Bowl? 

"It’s done."