2016 Outdoor Athletics season kicks off in style with this weekend's Diamond League in Birmingham

The 2016 outdoor season in the UK will really start to get under way this weekend with the prestigious Birmingham Diamond League on Sunday 5th June. The event at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium is part of the world-wide IAAF Diamond League series and attracts some of the biggest names in athletics from across the world.

In 2015 more than a dozen Olympic champions and 27 world champions lined up in the West Midlands, whilst Great Britain’s Adam Gemili became the 100th man in history to break 10 seconds for 100m and British 100m record holder Dina Asher-Smith came within one hundredth of a second of upstaging American superstar Allyson Felix in the 200m.

Greg Rutherford, Birmingham Grand Prix, Feb 2014  

Mo Farah, Birmingham Grand Prix, February 2013

Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth long jump champion Greg Rutherford will be returning to the stage and Mo Farah aims to make the closing event, the men's 3000m, his first big European track race of 2016. Mo has won four times at this event before - the 5000m in 2011 and 2013 and over 2 miles in 2012 and 2014.

See more at: http://www.britishathletics.org.uk/british-athletics-series/birmingham-diamond-league/event-information/

Nestle to come clean with it's IAAF sponsorship deal?

Swiss-based food and drink giant Nestle has ended its sponsorship of the IAAF, as it fears the doping scandal engulfing the world athletics governing body could damage its reputation.  Ha!

IAAF president, Seb Coe, Olympic Torch Relay, Sheffield, 2012

Nestle has been a sponsor of the IAAF's global KidsAthletics scheme since 2012 which funds 15 million children aged 7-12 in 76 countries but is ending its involvement a year early. Some might say that it is a strange decision as it is sponsorship like this which may actually help Nestle's reputation which is globally sullied over numerous allegations of: promoting baby milk as better than breast in many African countries; asserting that access to water isn't a universal right; allegations of child labour; environmental pollution; price fixing; promoting and mis-labelling unhealthy food etc etc etc

Many people still believe that Seb Coe is still the best person to lead the IAAF forward - it just looks like another hurdle has been put in his path.

IAAF president Lord Coe has since accused Nestle of hypocrisy - pointing to Nestle's backing of the Tour de France during a time when cycling had notable doping problems.

Congratulations to Seb Coe - the new president of the International Association of Athletics Federations

Seb Coe, the current vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will succeed current incumbent Lamine Diack at the end of the month.  The announcement came just before the start of the World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

Seb Coe, Olympic Torch Relay, Sheffield, June 2012

The 58 year old polled 115 votes to the 92 cast for Ukrainian ex-pole vaulter Sergey Bubka.

He takes the helm at a time when the IAAF is facing mounting pressure over recent doping claims.  However, he has been backed by sports stars such as double Olympic Champion Mo Farah and will look to "change athletics" by creating an independent anti-doping panel in his first 100 days in office.

All the best Lord Coe - you're welcome back in Sheffield any time.