ÅF Golden League

The ÅF Golden League (previously IAAF Golden League) is an annual series of athletics meetings organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

The series was formed to increase the profile of the leading athletics competitions. Athletes (in selected events) who win their event at all six meetings take a share of a USD 1 million jackpot. In addition, events at Golden League meetings scored more Grand Prix points than other Grand Prix meetings.

History

The first Golden League season was held in 1998, consisting of the meetings of Oslo, Rome, Monaco, Zürich, Brussels and Berlin.

In 1999 a seventh event, Meeting Gaz de France, at St-Denis, Paris was added.

In 2000 and 2001, the USD 1 million was reduced to 50 kg of gold bars and athletes only had to win at 5 out of 7 meetings to qualify for the jackpot.

In 2003, the 50 kg of gold bars was reverted back to USD 1 million and Monaco was dropped from the league after it was awarded the IAAF World Athletics Final.

In 2004, the Bislett Games were moved from Oslo to Bergen due to the redevelopment of the Bislett stadion.

For the 2006 Golden League, the total prize pool remained at USD 1 million, but the award structure had been changed:
*Athletes who won any five of the six events would share in a purse of USD 500,000.
*The remaining USD 500,000 would be divided among athletes who won all six meetings.

In 2007, the Jackpot of USD 1 million were only to be shared amongst those athletes who won at all six meetings. In case no athlete had managed to win all six meetings, USD 500,000 would have been shared amongst those who won at five of the six meetings. [http://www.iaaf.org/GLE06/news/Kind=512/newsId=36979.html]

In 2008 IAAF signed a two year agreement with the Swedish company ÅF for title sponsorship, thus renaming IAAF Golden League to ÅF Golden League.

Various rules have changed as the new competition finds its feet. The list of events which qualify for the jackpot is different each year, but there are usually six men's events and six (four for 2008) women's. For the year 2008, the disciplines are:
*Men: 100m, 400m, 1500m, 400m Hurdles, Long Jump, Javelin Throw.
*Women: 200m, 800m, 100m Hurdles, High Jump.

Jackpot winners

Meetings

Current meetings for 2008Prior to 2003, a seventh meet, Herculis, was held in Monaco

External links

* [http://www.iaaf.org/gle08/index.html ÅF Golden League 2008 Official Site]
* [http://www.bislettgames.com/english/index.html Bislett Games Official Site]
* [http://www.athle.gazdefrance.com/?lang=en Meeting Gaz de France Official site]
* [http://www.goldengala.it/index.eng.php Golden Gala Official Site]
* [http://www.weltklasse.ch/default_en.asp Weltklasse Zürich Official Site]
* [http://www.sport.be/belgacommemorialvandamme/2008/eng/ Memorial van Damme Official Site]
* [http://www.istaf.de/start.php?lang=en ISTAF Official site]