World Athletics Indoor Tour Explained

Sport:Athletics
Last Season:2024 World Athletics Indoor Tour
Upcoming Season:2025 World Athletics Indoor Tour
Founded:2016
Continent:Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America

The World Athletics Indoor Tour, formerly the IAAF World Indoor Tour, is an annual series of indoor track and field meetings, held since 2016.[1] It was designed to create a Diamond League-style circuit for indoor track and field events, to raise the profile of indoor track and field, and replaced the IAAF Indoor Permit Meetings series.

The tour was announced with initially four meetings, three in Europe and one in the United States, leading to the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon. Winners of the Tour enjoy similar privileges in relation to World Indoor Championships qualification as Diamond League winners do in relation to the World Athletics Championships. The tour was initially in place for two years.

The Düsseldorf leg was added for the 2017 Tour, and the Stockholm leg was replaced by the International Copernicus Cup, a long-standing indoor event in Torún, Poland.[2] In 2018, the tour became a permanent fixture, and the Meeting Ville de Madrid was added as the sixth event on the tour. For 2020, the tour added a seventh leg in Liévin, France.

In 2021, the tour expanded by introducing three levels of competition: Gold, Silver and Bronze, mirroring the expanded outdoor World Athletics Continental Tour. In 2022, the tour expanded with the fourth tier: Challenger.

The tour is organised to allow for major indoor championships including the World Athletics Indoor Championships and the European Athletics Indoor Championships and, where appropriate, national championships and trials.

Editions

Edition Year Meets Start date End date
1201646 February20 February
22017528 January18 February
3201863 February25 February
42019626 January20 February
52020725 January21 February
620212524 January27 February
720223622 January13 March
820235421 January11 March
920245429 December24 February
1020255411 January1 March

(Gold Standard) Meetings

In keeping with the indoor season generally, the season for the World Athletics Indoor Tour is considerably shorter than for the outdoor Diamond League, with the tour concluded in little over a month, and meetings often held only a few days apart. The meeting in Boston is the ever-present in history of the tour. The most recent addition is the Belgrade Indoor Meeting, scheduled to be added for the first time in 2025. Typically, major international championship events take place after the conclusion of the tour season.

MeetingArena City Country2016201720182019202020212022202320242025
10 align=left align=left align=left Boston /
New York City
align=left
9 align=left Copernicus Cupalign=left Arena Toruńalign=left Toruńalign=left
9 align=left Indoor Meeting Karlsruhealign=left Dm-Arenaalign=left Karlsruhealign=left
8 align=left Villa de Madrid Indoor Meetingalign=left Gallur Municipality Sport Complexalign=left Madridalign=left
7 align=left Müller Indoor Grand Prixalign=left Commonwealth Arena /
Utilita Arena Birmingham
align=left Glasgow /
Birmingham
align=left
6 align=left Meeting Hauts de France Pas de Calaisalign=left Arena Stade Couvert de Liévinalign=left Liévinalign=left
4 align=left PSD Bank Meetingalign=left Arena-Sportparkalign=left Düsseldorfalign=left
4 align=left Millrose Gamesalign=left Fort Washington Avenue Armoryalign=left New York Cityalign=left
2Astana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov PrizesQazaqstan Indoor Track and Field ArenaAstana
2Czech Indoor GalaOstrava
1 align=left Globen Galanalign=left Ericsson Globealign=left Stockholmalign=left
1 align=left Banskobystricka latkaalign=left Stiavnicky Sport Hallalign=left Banská Bystricaalign=left
1align=left Belgrade Indoor Meetingalign=left Atletska dvorana Beogradalign=left Belgradealign=left

Scoring system

At each meeting a minimum of 12 events are to be staged. Included in the 12 events will be a core group of five or six events split across the two-season cycle.

For example: tour events for 2016 and 2018 were the men's 60m, 800m, 3000/5000m, pole vault, triple jump and shot put, plus the women's 400m, 1500m, 60m hurdles, high jump and long jump.

In 2017 and 2019 the tour events were the women's 60m, 800m, 3000/5000m, pole vault, triple jump and shot put, as well as the men's 400m, 1500m, 60m hurdles, high jump and long jump.

Points will be allocated to the best four athletes in each event, with the winner getting 10 points, the runner up receiving seven points, the third-placed finisher getting five points and the athlete in fourth receiving three points. Only each athlete's best three results in the tour per event group will count for scoring.[3]

The individual overall winner of each event will receive US$20,000 in prize money and, beginning with the 2016 edition in Portland, will automatically qualify for the next edition of the World Athletics Indoor Championships as a ‘wild card’ entry, provided the member federation of that World Indoor Tour winner agrees to enter the athlete.[4] The individual overall winner of each event received a US$10,000 bonus in 2021.[5]

Current meetings

2025

Date Meeting Venue Country
Gold Level Meetings (9)[6]
25 JanAstana Indoor Meet for Amin Tuyakov PrizesAstana
29 JanBelgrade Indoor MeetingBelgrade
2 FebNew Balance Indoor Grand PrixBoston
4 FebCzech Indoor GalaOstrava
7 Feb INIT Meeting KarlsruheKarlsruhe
8 FebMillrose GamesNew York City
13 FebMeeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais "Trophée EDF"Liévin
15 FebORLEN Copernicus CupToruń
28 FebWorld Indoor Tour Gold MadridMadrid

Winners

The following table sets out the overall winners of World Indoor Tour disciplines in each year of the Tour.

Men's track

width=20Year 60 m h
2024

Men's field

width=20Year Shot put
2024

Women's track

width=20Year 60 m h
2024

Women's field

width=20Year Shot put
2024

World Athletics Indoor Tour records

The following tour records are correct as of the end of the 2023 World Athletics Indoor Tour.

Men's Indoor Tour records
EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateMeetPlace
60 m6.43Bingtian Su6 February 2018PSD Bank MeetingDüsseldorf
400 m45.34Michael Norman13 February 2021New Balance Indoor Grand PrixNew York City[7]
800 m1:43.63Elliot Giles17 February 2021Copernicus CupToruń
1500 m3:31.04Samuel Tefera16 February 2019Birmingham Indoor Grand PrixBirmingham
Mile3:47.38Yared Nuguse11 February 2023Millrose GamesNew York City[8]
3000 m7:24.98Getnet Wale9 February 2021Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-CalaisLiévin[9]
60 m hurdles7.29Grant Holloway24 February 2021Villa de Madrid Indoor MeetingMadrid[10]
High jump2.35 mNaoto Tobe2 February 2019Weltklasse in KarlsruheKarlsruhe[11]
Long jump8.41 mJuan Miguel Echevarria21 February 2020Villa de Madrid Indoor MeetingMadrid
Triple jump17.82 mHugues Fabrice Zango9 February 2021Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-CalaisLiévin[12]
Pole vault6.22 mArmand Duplantis25 February 2023All Star PercheClermont-Ferrand[13]
Shot put22.58 mRyan Crouser11 February 2023Millrose GamesNew York City[14]
Women's Indoor Tour records
EventRecordAthleteNationalityDateMeetPlace
60 m6.98Elaine Thompson18 February 2017Birmingham Indoor Grand PrixBirmingham
400 m49.63Femke Bol10 February 2024Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-CalaisLiévin
800 m1:57.18Keely Hodgkinson25 February 2023World Indoor Tour FinalBirmingham[15]
1500 m3:53.09Gudaf Tsegay9 February 2021Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-CalaisLiévin[16]
Mile4:16.16Gudaf Tsegay8 February 2023Copernicus CupToruń[17]
3000 m8:16.69Gudaf Tsegay25 February 2023World Indoor Tour FinalBirmingham[18]
60 m hurdles7.67Devynne Charlton11 February 2024Millrose GamesNew York City[19]
High jump2.02 mYaroslava Mahuchikh31 January 2020Weltklasse in KarlsruheKarlsruhe
Long jump6.96 mMaryna Bekh-Romanchuk8 February 2020Copernicus CupToruń[20]
Triple jump15.43 mYulimar Rojas21 February 2020Villa de Madrid Indoor MeetingMadrid[21]
Pole vault4.91 mAnzhelika Sidorova8 February 2019Villa de Madrid Indoor MeetingMadrid[22]
Shot put20.03 mChase Ealey11 February 2023Millrose GamesNew York City[23]
Other records
RecordHolderEvents
Most titles 2800 metres
(2016 and 2018)
Most event wins (men)6800 metres
Most event wins (women)3



400 metres
800 metres
1500, 3000 metres
High jump
3000 metres

Notes and References

  1. Web site: IAAF to launch World Indoor Tour . IAAF . 8 December 2015 . 8 December 2015.
  2. News: IAAF World Indoor Tour expands. IAAF. 30 March 2016. 2 April 2016.
  3. Web site: World Indoor Tour expands for 2024. World Athletics.
  4. Web site: IAAF launches World Indoor Tour – Athletics Weekly. 7 December 2015.
  5. https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/news/indoor-tour-2021-series-winners-wildcards-belgrade NEWS 24 FEB 2021 2021 World Athletics Indoor Tour winners secure wildcards for Belgrade
  6. Web site: World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold World Athletics . 21 September 2024 . World Athletics.
  7. Web site: 400m Results. World Athletics. 13 February 2021. 13 February 2021.
  8. Web site: Rosen . Karen . February 12, 2023 . Nuguse breaks North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games . February 12, 2023 . World Athletics.
  9. News: Tsegay breaks world indoor 1500m record in Liévin with 3:53.09. World Athletics. Jon Mulkeen. 9 February 2021. 24 February 2021.
  10. News: Holloway breaks world indoor 60m hurdles record. Reuters. 24 February 2021. 24 February 2021.
  11. Web site: High Jump Results. sportresult.com. 2 February 2019. 9 February 2019.
  12. News: Tsegay breaks world indoor 1500m record in Lievin with 3:53.09. World Athletics. Jon Mulkeen. 9 February 2021. 24 February 2021.
  13. Web site: 25 February 2023 . Duplantis breaks world pole vault record with 6.22m in Clermont-Ferrand . 25 February 2023 . World Athletics.
  14. Web site: Rosen . Karen . February 12, 2023 . Nuguse breaks North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games . February 12, 2023 . World Athletics.
  15. Web site: Whittington . Jess . 25 February 2023 . Tsegay threatens world indoor 3000m record, as tour titles are won in Birmingham . 25 February 2023 . World Athletics.
  16. News: Tsegay breaks world indoor 1500m record in Lievin with 3:53.09. World Athletics. Jon Mulkeen. 9 February 2021. 24 February 2021.
  17. Web site: Whittington . Jess . 8 February 2023 . Tsegay triumphs with No.2 all-time indoor mile in Torun . 8 February 2023 . World Athletics.
  18. Web site: Whittington . Jess . 25 February 2023 . Tsegay threatens world indoor 3000m record, as tour titles are won in Birmingham . 25 February 2023 . World Athletics.
  19. Web site: Rosen . Karen . 11 February 2024 . Charlton breaks world 60m hurdles record in New York with 7.67 . 22 September 2024 . World Athletics.
  20. News: 6.17! Duplantis breaks world pole vault record in Torun. World Athletics. Bob Ramsak. 8 February 2020. 26 February 2020.
  21. News: Rojas breaks world indoor triple jump record in Madrid with 15.43m. World Athletics. Jon Mulkeen. 21 February 2020. 12 March 2020.
  22. News: World leads for Rojas and Sidorova in Madrid. IAAF. Emeterio Valiente. 8 February 2019. 10 February 2019.
  23. Web site: Rosen . Karen . February 12, 2023 . Nuguse breaks North American indoor mile record at Millrose Games . February 12, 2023 . World Athletics.