Athletics: Vili contender for Diamond League

The Diamond League holds promise for high-flyers such as Valerie Vili. Photo / Dean Purcell

A new world athletics league is being planned for next year, and New Zealand's Olympic and world champion shot putter Valerie Vili could be part of it.

The idea is for a global 12-meet programme. It was hatched by a group of leading athletics promoters in concert with the International Amateur Athletic Federation and has been described as potentially the biggest shakeup to the sport.

Under the plan, 12 meetings, running from May to September on three continents next year, would potentially attract the world's best athletes on the basis of committing to six of the 12 meets, eight of which will be staged in Europe, and two each in the United States and Asia.

There are obvious drawcards.

World and Olympic 100 and 200m champion Usain Bolt and his fellow Jamaican and former world champion Asafa Powell, brilliant Ethiopian three-time Olympic champion over 10,000 and 5000m Kenenesia Bekele, Cuba's Olympic and world 110m hurdles champion Dayron Robles and Russia's glamorous world and Olympic champion high jumper and world women's athlete of the year Yelena Isinbayeva seem certainties to be offered central contracts.

And Vili's achievements are right up with the best after her Beijing win last year, to add to her world crown.

Last night her manager, Nick Cowan, had heard little about the proposed Diamond League.

Nor had Vili and her coach Kirsten Hellier, who are in Melbourne for a meet on Thursday night.

"It certainly sounds interesting," Cowan said. "Valerie and Kirsten are not aware of it as yet but we'll certainly be looking into it further. It's difficult to assess at this stage what kind of opportunity there may be."

Among details still to be finalised are the structure of the circuit, the prizemoney, broadcasting and sponsorship.

Former Olympic champion and the power behind London's successful 2012 Olympic Games, Lord Sebastian Coe, insists change must be made to make athletics more attractive in a competitive sports market.

"The big attraction is head-to-head challenges. If tennis can have Federer and Nadal going up against each other several times a year, we need to have Usain Bolt running against Asafa Powell more than twice a year."

On sporting merit, Vili would rank with the elite of world sport.

But one drawback might be the events organisers choose to focus on. Certain athletic events are seen as the "sexy" crowd favourites, such as the middle-distance running, high jump and the sprints.

If the contracts are offered on that basis, it could lessen Vili's prospects of getting what could be a lucrative deal.