The Chinese city of Xiamen will make its debut on athletics’ premier one-day meeting series in 2023, after agreeing a deal to host a Wanda Diamond League meeting for the next ten years.
Xiamen will replace Shenzhen as the location for the meeting on September 2nd and will continue to host one of two Chinese Wanda Diamond League meetings until 2032.
The major port city in the South Fujian region of China’s south-east coast is one of the most developed cities in China, with five million inhabitants.
The Wanda Diamond League meeting will be held at the brand new, state of the art Egret Stadium, a 1.2 billion dollar project which will further develop Xiamen as an elite international sporting hub.
The multipurpose stadium can host both football and athletics, with a capacity of 53,000 for the latter. Its U-shaped design resembles a soaring egret with outspread wings, giving many spectators a view of the nearby coastline. The roof structure and the interlacing patterns draw inspiration from the design style of traditional southern Fujian houses.
“There is a profound tradition of sports in Xiamen. The Egret Stadium and the two affiliated stadiums are built according to international first-class standard. We look forward to hosting the Wanda Diamond League Xiamen meeting,” said Liao Huasheng, Deputy Mayor of the Xiamen municipal government.
Among the international stars set to compete in Xiamen will be reigning Diamond League champions Ivana Vuleta and Grant Holloway and six-time Diamond Trophy winner Sandra Perkovic.
The Wanda Diamond League is the premier one-day meeting series in athletics. It comprises 14 of the most prestigious events in global track and field. Athletes compete for points at the 13 series meetings in a bid to qualify for the two-day Wanda Diamond League Final in Eugene on 16th-17th September.
