Compared to TV coverage in 2009, the 14 meetings which combined this season to form the Samsung Diamond League, the top tier of track and field's new one-day meeting structure, have seen world audience totals running at almost three times the level, with the hours of coverage dramatically increasing too.

"The news from our TV partners is exceptionally encouraging," confirmed IAAF President Lamine Diack who is also Chairman of the Board of the Samsung Diamond League.

"We jointly set out to reinvent the one-day meeting structure of our sport, to bring clarity to the elite international athletics competition which takes place outside the World Championships and Olympic Games.

"As witnessed by these TV figures the general public's huge take-up shows an understanding of what we are trying to achieve and is a ringing endorsement that the Samsung Diamond League is on the right track.

"While there remain many challenges ahead if we are to make further advances and cement the Samsung Diamond League's position as one of the world's major sports series, we firmly believe that along with the acquisition of a title sponsor earlier this year, we have made an exceptionally good start in 2010, and we eagerly look forward to 2011."

The Assembly of the Diamond League meeting in Monaco held two days of discussions, which included final decisions regarding the distribution of event disciplines for next season which have also been announced.

The Samsung Diamond League dates for 2011 are: Friday May 6- Doha; Sunday May 15 - Shanghai; Thursday May 26 - Rome; Saturday Jun4 - Eugene; Thursday June 9 - Oslo; Saturday June 11 - New York; Thursday June 30 - Lausanne; Frdiay July 8 - Paris; Sunday July 10 - Birmingham; Friday July 22 - Monaco; Friday July 29 - Stockholm; Friday/Saturday August 5/6 - London; Thursday September 8 - Zurich; Friday September 16 - Brussels

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
June 2010: Samsung to sponsor IAAF Diamond League