Los Angeles and New York City will host Gold level events as part of the 2024 World Athletics Continental Tour released this month with 12 events in the highest of four levels.
The USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix on May 18 and the USATF New York City Grand Prix on June 9 as among the highest level of events which is determined by the quality of competition and prize money offered. More than 190 events are included in next year’s tour, which is divided into Gold, Silver, Bronze and Challenger.
Gold level action kicks off in Melbourne on February 15 at the Maurie Plant Meet. After Melbourne, the next Gold level event takes place in Gaborone, Botswana, on April 14, before stops in Nairobi (April 20), Los Angeles (May 18), Tokyo (May 19) and Ostrava, Czech Republic (May 28).
As athletes continue their preparations for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris in August, the Gold tour will continue to New York (June 9), Turku, Finland (June 18), Bydgoszcz, Poland (June 21), Hengelo, Netherlands (July 7) and Szekesfehervar, Hungary (July 9). Following the Olympics, Zagreb, Croatia, will welcome athletes for the final Continental Tour Gold meeting of the season on September 8.
In 2023, 15,552 athletes from 173 countries competed in the Continental Tour, setting one world record, nine area records and 181 national records. Highlights included Ryan Crouser of the United States improving his own world shot put record to 23.56 meters in Los Angeles and fellow American Brooke Andersen becoming the third woman to surpass 80 meters in the hammer throw with a toss of 80.17 meters in Tucson. The USA’s KC Lightfoot cleared 6.07 meters to break the North American pole vault record in Nashville, while Kenya’s world 3,000-meter steeplechase record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech set a world 2,000 meter steeplechase best of 5:47.42.
The tour’s top tier is spread across five continents. The full calendar currently includes 27 Silver, 62 Bronze and 89 Challenger meetings.
2024 World Athletics Gold Level Meetings
February 15: Maurie Plant Meet, Melbourne
April 14: Botswana Golden Grand Prix, Gaborone
April 20: Kip Keino Classic, Nairobi
May 18: USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, Los Angeles
May 19: Seiko Golden Grand Prix, Tokyo
May 28: Ostrava Golden Spike, Ostrava, Czech Republic
June 9: USATF New York City Grand Prix, New York
June 18: Paavo Nurmi Games, Turku, Finland
June 21: Irena Szewinska Memorial, Bydgoszcz, Poland
July 7: FBK Games, Hengelo, Netherlands
July 9: Gyulai István Memorial, Szekesfehervar, Hungary
September 8: Memorial Borisa Hanzekovica, Zagreb, Croatia