Diamond League CEO Petr Stastny on the impression of recent arrivals on the scene and why he believes his collection continues to be finest represents your entire sport
“Typically new youngsters on the block catch extra consideration than those that’ve been round for some time,” says Petr Stastny. As he chats with AW in mid-April, the CEO of the Wanda Diamond League is contemplating the latest arrival of recent occasions to the athletics calendar and their potential impression.
None has arrived with higher fanfare than Grand Slam Monitor, a collection created by Michael Johnson largely in response to what the previous Olympic 200m and 400m champion believes is lacking from what the Diamond League affords – specifically extra head-to-head match-ups and a extra coherent construction.
There are different recent faces too, such because the Athlos assembly which will likely be staged for a second time in New York this autumn, whereas world record-holder Ryan Crouser is within the early phases of making his personal shot put league in America, three-time world champion Mutaz Essa Barshim has showcased the excessive bounce through his “What Gravity Problem” and the primary version of the Neeraj Chopra Basic – named after India’s former Olympic javelin champion – will happen in India later this month.
In latest problems with this journal, the likes of Crouser and nine-time Olympic champion Carl Lewis have spoken in regards to the want for observe and discipline to fragment, for disciplines to start out going their very own approach if the game is to outlive in between the most important championships.
Stastny sees issues barely in another way. “If everyone runs their very own collection, then will probably be extra fragmented and will probably be much more tough for followers to observe,” he says. “So whereas I feel it’s good that there’s curiosity, and whereas I feel it’s good that athletes develop their very own initiatives, one must see how that’s transported to the followers – by way of what channels and what number of followers really can observe these particular person actions. That’s the similar for Athlos or Neeraj Chopra’s throwers.”
With pointed reference to the truth that Diamond League occasions characteristic each observe and discipline disciplines, he provides: “We, in fact, really feel that we symbolize your entire sport, and we are going to proceed doing that.”
These whose occasions will not be thought-about to be “Diamond disciplines” and due to this fact don’t characteristic on the Diamond League programme – hammer throwers and 10,000m runners, for instance – may need one thing to say about that assertion however, because it reaches its fifteenth anniversary, the mission that was launched as a substitute to the Golden League in 2010 has already been flexing its muscle mass.
On the time of writing, the primary assembly on the 2025 schedule was but to happen in Xiamen, whereas the second is now quick approaching in Shanghai. However earlier than a step was run or a projectile thrown there have been some huge bulletins.
Final month’s press releases proclaimed that Jakob Ingebrigtsen will tackle Olympic 1500m champion Cole Hocker and bronze medallist Yared Nuguse within the Bowerman Mile on the Prefontaine Basic in July, for instance, whereas later that month the Norwegian will resume everybody’s favorite middle-distance rivalry with Josh Kerr at a London Athletics Meet that has already bought 50,000 tickets.
“It’s the stage of efficiency and likewise the head-to-heads in lots of occasions [that excites me as a fan],” says Stastny, who has been with the Diamond League because the very starting. “The efficiency stage in 2023 and 2024, with seven world information being damaged at Diamond League conferences, is simply astonishing. However we can’t construct, and we don’t construct, a product on world information. It’s performances and duels.
“In the beginning of final season I mentioned that: “We had had the best season ever in 2023 it’s very tough to copy, we do not construct on that” after which I used to be confirmed improper. It was simply nearly as good. That was a constructive shock, I might say. The athletes actually carried out and we are going to see how it’s in 2025 however many are of the opinion that the Diamond League is the collection they wish to be a part of. We pay decrease prize cash, that’s for positive, however we cater for a lot of extra athletes in any respect of our occasions than another occasion.”
That prize cash is certainly decrease compared to others nevertheless it’s additionally true that the Diamond League rewards have by no means been greater. Whereas Grand Slam Monitor athletes take house $100,000 for the win in every occasion, $50,000 for second and $30,000 for third (the “Racers” have a wage too), it’s $10,000 for a Diamond League win this yr and $30,000 for victory within the last. There’s additionally the introduction of 4 “Diamond+” disciplines for every assembly – there are eight for the ultimate – during which athletes will obtain $20,000 for an occasion win, $50,000 on the last.
That, in fact, is on high of the outlay of the charges negotiated for an athlete to compete within the first place, whereas Diamond League winners additionally obtain a wild card entry to the World Athletics Championships.
“We really feel that we have now a sustainable mannequin in the case of the game itself, with collection conferences the place you possibly can purchase qualification factors after which the ultimate on the finish of our season,” says Stastny. “That last reaches even additional with the wild playing cards to the championships, be it the World Championships or the Final Championships [World Athletics’ new event for 2026] in future. We even have a sustainable economical mannequin in distinction to some others. So we are going to see how that goes.”
Whereas Stastny says he welcomes the competitors that Grand Slam Monitor brings, it has already thrown up an intriguing calendar conflict. Might 3 will see the second Diamond League assembly of the yr happening in Shanghai on a date that represents the halfway level of the second Slam of the yr, in Miami.
“Each may have high athletes at their occasions,” he says. “So it’s simply that the calendar is much more of a problem than it was once.”
Which begs the query, will there be sufficient room for everybody?
“That’s a query I can’t reply as a result of we haven’t tried it but,” says Stastny. “It does not get simpler with the calendar. It is going to be a bigger problem when we have now the European Championships, which won’t adhere to the World Athletics calendar construction. That is the place we are going to see if there’s sufficient room for everybody.
“The calendar has all the time been a problem and it’s not easing. As I already mentioned, it’s good that there are new initiatives nevertheless it’s not good when there are date clashes, as a result of that doesn’t actually assist the athletes. We’re blissful for them to earn cash with us and with others but when two predominant alternatives are staged on the identical day, you then sort of rob [some of] the athletes of a chance.
“Now, I hope the folks do not forget that the Diamond League continues to be the best stage collection we have now on this sport.”
Requested for his ideas on the inaugural Grand Slam Monitor assembly in Kingston, Stastny merely provides: “I want to discuss our collection. Now we have a two-hour action-packed programme [at each Diamond League], and the opposite collection has the alternative. It relies upon what you want. I choose a two-hour action-packed programme.”
Stastny doesn’t essentially agree with the concept that the game of observe and discipline is altering in the intervening time – extra that the panorama round it’s evolving, albeit there gained’t be any main sporting adjustments at Diamond League conferences this yr.
“Now we have tried issues out within the Diamond League with a last three [in the jumps and throws], and now World Athletics is attempting the jump-off zone however it’s nonetheless athletics – it is working, leaping, throwing and the most effective wins,” he says. “With another codecs we have now seen, it is nonetheless working, leaping, throwing, and the quickest and furthest is the winner. We have to reinvent ourselves consistently with out altering the essence of the game.
“We are going to begin our season, after which we are going to see how we’re perceived. Perhaps extra folks will observe the Diamond League. Who is aware of?”
2025 Diamond League schedule
April 26 – Xiamen (CHN)
Might 3 – Shanghai/Keqiao (CHN)
Might 16 – Doha (QAT)
Might 25 – Rabat (MAR)
June 6 – Rome (ITA)
June 12 – Oslo (NOR)
June 15 – Stockholm (SWE)
June 20 – Paris (FRA)
July 5 – Eugene (USA)
July 11 – Monaco (MON)
July 19 – London (GBR)
August 16 – Silesia (POL)
August 20 – Lausanne (SUI)
August 22 – Brussels (BEL)
August 27 – Zurich (SUI)
