Chinese stars Gong Lijiao, Liu Shiying and Feng Bin will ensure plenty of interest as World Athletics flagship competition gets underway on Saturday

The 2024 Diamond League season kicks off on Saturday (April 20) with the first meeting staged in Xiamen. It is the first of two early-season Diamond League events in China and could prove a livelier start than you might imagine.

All eyes will be on the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, but the track and field season has been bubbling into life in recent weeks and along with the Xiamen Diamond League there is the Kip Keino Classic in Kenya.

The Xiamen meeting last year attracted almost 30,000 spectators and this weekend an even bigger crowd is anticipated at the Xiamen Egret Stadium due to a number of top Chinese athletes being in action.

They include reigning Olympic champions Gong Lijiao (shot put) and Liu Shiying (javelin), plus 2022 world discus champion Feng Bin.

Gong takes on reigning world champion Chase Jackson of the United States and reigning world indoor champion Sarah Mitton of Canada.

In the non-Diamond League womens javelin, meanwhile, Liu is up against fellow Chinese thrower Lyu Huihui, a three-time world medallist, and Australias Kathryn Mitchell and Colombias Flor Denis Ruiz Hurtado.

The womens discus sees Bin taking on two-time Olympic champion Sandra Elkasevic (née Perkovic) of Croatia, reigning Olympic and Diamond League champion Valarie Allman of the United States, in-form Yaime Perez of Cuba and reigning world champion Laulauga Tausaga of the United States.

The event will be shown for UK viewers on the BBC and some of the sports biggest stars have made the trip to China. Mondo Duplantis faces American trio Christopher Nilsen, Sam Kendricks and KC Lightfoot in the pole vault. The mens triple jump sees reigning world indoor and outdoor champion Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso against the reigning Olympic champion, Pedro Pichardo of Portugal.

The mens high jump will see reigning world indoor champion Hamish Kerr of New Zealand take on Barshim, the three-time world outdoor champion who will bid to win his second Olympic title in Paris.

The womens 100m hurdles features a stacked line up with the last two world outdoor champions in Nigerias Tobi Amusan and Jamaicas Danielle Williams, the last two world indoor champions in Frances Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, along with the reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico.

There are some big names in the sprints, too, with former world 100m champions Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman going head to head, while the womens 200m sees ShaCarri Richardson against Tamara Clark and Anavia Battle of USA, while Switzerlands Mujinga Kambundji, USAs Kayla White and Twanisha Terry and Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas are also in the line-up.

Gudaf Tsegay, the reigning world 10,000m champion and 5000m world record-holder, runs the 1500m against fellow Ethiopians Diribe Welteji and Freweyni Hailu.

Only one Brit is likely to be in action, though, Ethan Hussey in the 800m in a field that includes world champion Marco Arop of Canada.

Following Xiamen, the Diamond League moves on to the Yangtze River Delta Athletics Diamond Gala on April 27 in Shanghai/Suzhou with around 25 world and Olympic champions lined up to compete.

Many of the athletes from Xiamen are not surprisingly taking in the April 27 event on their travels too. Competitors include world 200m champion Shericka Jackson facing world 100m gold medallist Richardson in the 200m.

Kerley and Coleman face each other again in the mens 100m, while Duplantis goes again in the pole vault.

Letesenbet Gidey leads the womens 5000m entries with Britains Megan Keith also entered. The mens 5000m, meanwhile, sees Selemon Barega and Lamecha Girma in the line up.

In the womens shot put home favourite Gong takes on all but one of last years top eight in the Budapest World Championships.

The Xiamen meeting is due to be on the BBC Red Button channel and BBC iPlayer from 12pm to 2pm UK time.

Results and timetable here.

2024 Diamond League calendar
Xiamen April 20
Shanghai/Suzhou April 27
Doha May 10
Rabat/Marrakech May 19
Eugene May 25
Oslo May 30
Stockholm June 2
Paris July 7
Monaco July 12
London July 20
Lausanne August 22
Silesia  August 25
Rome August 30
Zurich  September 5
Brussels September 14