Diamond League announces 14 meetings for 2021 season

Diamond League on Tuesday released a provisional calendar for the 2021 season, which will see a return to the full schedule of 14 meetings culminating in a season finale in Zurich.

Now in its 12th annual cycle, track and field's premier season-long competition will begin on May 23 with the Meeting International Mohammed VI in Rabat, Morocco.

The series then heads to the Middle East for the Doha Diamond League, which is scheduled for May 28.

Rome will host the first European meeting of the season on June 4, before athletes head to Oslo a week later.

Following stops in Stockholm, Monaco and London in the first two weeks of July, there will be a month-long pause for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The series will resume in Shanghai on August 14, before a continent-spanning double-bill the following weekend. Eugene will host its first Diamond League meeting on August 21, with China to hold its second event of the season the following day.

Athletes will return to Europe for the final leg of the season, with meetings in Lausanne, Paris and Brussels before the season finale in Zurich from September 8 to 9.

"In the first 13 meetings, athletes will earn points in a bid to qualify for a place in the final, where they have the chance to win the Diamond Trophy and be crowned Diamond League Champion in their chosen discipline," the orgsers said in a release.

"The calendar is strictly provisional at this stage and remains subject to changes depending on the global health situation in 2021. Diamond League, World Athletics and meeting orgsers continue to monitor the situation and remain committed to delivering high-quality competitions while prioritising the health and safety of athletes and fans," it added.

( With inputs from ANI )