Scoring system The original Diamond League scoring system, used from 2010 to 2015, awarded points to the top three athletes at each meeting (4 points for first place; 2 points for second place; 1 point for third place). Each of the thirty-two disciplines (sixteen each for male and female athletes) was staged a total of seven times during the season; points scored in the final meeting for that discipline (either Zürich or Brussels) were doubled. The athletes who finished the season with the highest number of points in their discipline won the "Diamond Race"; in case of a tie on points, the number of victories was used as the first tie-breaker, followed by the results of the final. Only athletes who competed in their discipline's final meeting were eligible to win the Diamond Race. In
2016 scoring was expanded to the top six (10–6–4–3–2–1); double points (20–12–8–6–4–2) were still awarded in the event finals. A completely new system was introduced in
2017; the top eight athletes at each meeting are now awarded points (8–7–6–5–4–3–2–1), but these points only determine which athletes qualify for the discipline finals in Zürich and Brussels. The athletes who win at the finals are declared IAAF Diamond League Champions, and the allocation of the overall prize money is likewise determined solely by the results of the final. This system, with the winner of the final automatically winning the overall championship, is similar to the former IAAF Grand Prix circuit with its
Grand Prix Final. As part of the scoring changes, the term 'Diamond Race' is no longer used. Instead, athletes compete in 'Diamond Disciplines' to become the Diamond League champion. After the
2019 season, the final format changed from being held by two separate meets to one meet.
Pandemic season In March 2019 the president of the IAAF,
Sebastian Coe, announced changes in the Diamond League's format for the 2020 series. The number of Diamond Disciplines was reduced from 32 to 24 and a second Chinese meet was added to the calendar. The dual final format was replaced by a single final. However, because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, 7 of the originally planned 15 meets were cancelled, the season was delayed to June 10, only four or the meets had a full competitive program, and the final was cancelled with no champions crowned in 2020. In December 2020, the 2021 Diamond League was announced to return with 32 disciplines and a two-hour broadcast window.
"Final 3" format In the "Final 3" format for horizontal jumping and throwing events, only the top-3 athletes after five rounds get a trial in the last round. Originally, only that final attempt then determined the ranking of the top-3 athletes, regardless of previous marks. The format was first tested at two World Athletics Indoor Tour meetings
in 2020 and received ample criticism from athletes prior to its first implementation in the Diamond League at the
2020 BAUHAUS-galan. Nonetheless in December 2020, the format was adopted throughout the
2021 Diamond League season, except for the
final in Zürich. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe defended the decision as an attempt to make "sure that we haven't got field events that are dying" by raising the stakes of the final round, and made the comparison to track events where results in prior rounds are also not taken into consideration when ranking runners in the final. Coe did however quell earlier concerns that the controversial format could also be adopted at the Olympic Games and World Championships, and confirmed it would be reviewed at the end of the 2021 season. In December 2021, the revised "Final 3" format was announced: as before only the top-3 athletes after five rounds get a final trial, but all marks determine the ranking of those athletes rather than just their results in the last round. However, the competing order for rounds 4 and 5 and for round 6 is changed by descending marks in the preceding three resp. five rounds (contrary to the usual ascending order). This format continues to be used from the
2022 season onwards. Both the original and revised formats were the subject of academic studies into their effects on fairness and jumping strategies. ==Meetings==