The qualifications system for the athletics World Championships and the Olympic Games will be redesigned in an effort to make the sport clearer and increase participation at all levels.

The IAAF announced on Friday (3 November) that it has partnered with Elite Ltd (All Athletics), to develop the first official IAAF World Rankings system for qualification into the top competitions, along with a new results and statistics database which will be managed by the Hungarian company.

Details of the World Rankings, including the points system for each event that goes towards the annual world rankings and the eligibility for entry, will be finalised early next year – in time for the 2019 World Championships in Doha and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The IAAF also announced the establishment of a new department, IAAF Heritage, which aims to better promote athletics’ history, its heroes and heroines, to increase participation at local and regional levels.

“In creating the IAAF World Rankings partnership with Elite Ltd and setting up IAAF Heritage, we’re establishing structures to assist the understanding and promotion of athletics for present and future generations,” said IAAF CEO Olivier Gers.

“The rankings will bring much-needed clarity to what is today a confusing competition picture even for those from within the sport, while Heritage will be an important tool to help inform, inspire and engage interest through the extraordinary story of athletics.”

The changes are part of a shake-up called for by IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe, which includes a root-and-branch review of the global calendar and all competitions, from championships to one-day meetings, road running and cross-country events.

“The IAAF World Rankings will drive and shape the global competition system, including entry into the World Championships and Olympic Games,” said Coe.

“For the first time in the sport’s history, athletes, media and fans will have a clear understanding of the hierarchy of competitions from national through to area and up to global events, allowing them to follow a logical season-long path to the pinnacle of athletics' top two competitions.”

Athletes’ positions in the IAAF World Rankings will be based upon the points they score, the amount determined by their performance and place, and the importance of the competition in the IAAF global calendar in which those results are achieved.