The world athletics governing body, IAAF, has launched its new official world ranking system, which identifies the top athletes in each athletics discipline. The world ranking system is said to reward consistency in participating in competitions among the world’s best.
Ethiopian athletes, mainly in athletics,have managed dominate several competitions across the world,this year; andhence they are anticipated tobe the leading athletes in this world ranking system.
On Tuesday 26, 2019,the IAAF released a statement unveiling athletes’ positions in the IAAF world ranking, based on the points they score, which is determined by their performance, place, and the importance of the competition the results were achieved in the IAAF global calendar.
The statement also elaborated that following a 10-month period of consultation with stakeholders from across the athletics family, the final ranking system balances the wide-ranging feedback and competing needs of those within the sport.
According to IAAF, world ranking will not be used for qualification to the IAAF World Athletics Championships,in Doha 2019.
The world ranking system will also bring clarity to competitions structures from the national level through to global events.
“For the first time in the sport’s history, athletes, media personnel and fans will have a clear understanding of the hierarchy of competitions from national up to global events, allowing them to follow a logical season-long path to the pinnacle of athletics’ top two competitions,” said IAAF President Sebastian Coe.
“The IAAF world rankings will shape and drive the global competition system including entry into future major championships and enable everyone interested in our sport to know who the no.1 is in the world,” he added.
Elsewhere, the Ethiopian athletes will face a tough challenge ahead of the 2019 IAAF calendar year. Indeed, athletes like middle distance runners like Solomon Barega, Samuel Tefera, GenezbeDibaba and HabtamAlemu will be the main figures for Ethiopians with theircurrent passion in the top IAAF list.
Weeks ago, the newcomer Samuel Tefera has managed to registera new world record, breakingthe previous record set at the 1500m world indoor competition,winningat3:31.04.Previously,the record was controlled by Morocco’sHicham El Guerroujiregistering 3:31:18 in 1997.
