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A second-tier group of events that will feed into the elite Diamond League athletics competition is being planned by the sport's governing body.

"The dream scenario is to have the Diamond League and then area grand prix," International Association of Athletics Federations spokesman Nick Davies told Reuters Wednesday.

"This pool of meetings is to have a transition system to feed into the Diamond League," he said, adding the plan is to have promotion to and relegation from the elite competition.

In a bid to raise the sport's profile and make it more lucrative, the IAAF has created the Diamond League which will include 14 meetings in Europe, the United States, China and the Middle East when it is launched next year.

Its predecessor, the Golden League, consists this year of just six meetings only in Europe.

Germany, long an athletics stronghold, was the most notable absentee from the Diamond League schedule after Berlin Golden League meeting organisers said they would not join for financial reasons.

BERLIN IN

Davies said Berlin, the only member of the current six-city Golden League not participating in the Diamond League and the venue for this year's World Athletics Championships, would be part of the new second tier competition.

Among the other cities being considered are Japan's Osaka, Czech town Ostrava, Hengelo in the Netherlands, Melbourne in Australia, Senegalese capital Dakar, Brazil's Belem, Athens or Thessaloniki in Greece and Italy's Rieti.

Davies said there were also thoughts to include Kingston in Jamaica, Daegu in South Korea, which will host the 2011 World Athletics championships, as well as a location in South Africa and even Central America.

"It will be pretty much the size of the Diamond League," Davies said of the number of second tier competitions.

"Where we stand is we have continuing reflection of the technical details of the second group (of events)," he added. "The details of that will be finalised towards the autumn."

These details include the system for awarding points to athletes for their performances at each event.

(Source: Reuters)