The IAAF’s decision to drop the 5,000 meters from its Diamond League track and field series has been met with strong resistance from Ethiopia and Kenya, the East African nations whose athletes dominate long-distance events. The IAAF this week announced a plan to revamp the Diamond League from 2020, reducing the series to 12 meetings and a finals event. The 5,000 meters was one of the disciplines to be cut, leaving the 3,000 as the longest race on the schedule. The Diamond League is the highest-profile athletics competition outside of the world championships and the Olympics. In an effort to find a more compact, TV-friendly format, the 5,000 meters was one of the events to lose out.

Source: Ethiopian News March 15, 2019 15:45 UTC