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There’s a pretty big bash going on in Monaco at the moment, where the winners of the World Athlete of the Year will be announced at the IAAF Gala tomorrow. Aside from that, the decision makers have been making all sorts of, err… decisions. To read the full version, click here. But if you just want to know the headlines, read this!
1. Rio 2016 to hold morning finals
13 events (including all five road races) at the Rio Olympics will have their finals held in morning sessions. 13 might be unlucky for some, but for others it’s a non-issue.
Multi-world record holder Genzebe Dibaba falls in to the latter camp: "I don't think it will be a problem because it changes for all of us," she told the press in Monaco earlier today.
Genze's unfazed
2. It's Doha 2019
Doha, the capital city of Qatar, will host the 2019 World Championships. It lost out to London in its bid to host the 2017 edition, but was successful this time round. It means that for the first time ever the world champs will be held in the Gulf area.
Someone smashed the stopwatch challenge...
3. A first for Uganda
The best cross country runners in the world will head to the shores of Lake Victoria in 2017 to battle it out for the world championship crown. Capital Kampala will be the setting for muddy spikes and keen elbows, as Uganda will host its first ever IAAF event.
If the pictures of this year's African championships, which this year took place in Kampala, are anything to go by, expect racing at its most challenging, chaotic, brilliant best.
Cross country, Kampala style
4. The world youths head to Kenya
The best in youth athletics will head to one the sport’s spiritual homes, as Kenya hosts its first ever major global athletics champs, in the form of the 2017 World Youth Championships. The action will unfold in Nairobi.
Robert Kiptoo Biwott was one of five kenyan gold medalists in the last world youths
5. The next Conti Cup will be in Ostrava
The third ever Continental Cup will take place in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, bringing the competition to Europe for the second time. The European side, captained by Jo Pavey, won the most recent championship which took place in Marrakech in September this year.
Masters of the continent
6. Russia loves race walking!
The World Race Walking Cup is no more. In its place comes the World Race Walking Team Championships. The first edition of the renamed championships will take place in Cheboksary, Russia, in 2016. It will also be the venue for the 2018 championships.
Cheboksary previously held the World Race Walking Cup in 2008
7. The world champs qualifying rules have changed
There are no longer ‘B’ standards. A quota of athletes in each events which will be ‘topped up’ using the world lists (excluding events from 5000m upwards).
A top-10 finish at an IAAF Gold Label marathon is the equivalent of having the qualifying standard, and wild cards have been extended to winners of the IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge.