The virtual awards event will be live streamed on December 5

The “tenacity and determination” of athletes and meeting organisers will be celebrated at this year’s World Athletics Awards, which will be staged as a virtual event on December 5.

Three new awards will be among the eight presented, with fans again helping to select the male and female athletes of the year.

“In a disruptive year our athletes continued to train hard and our event organisers went above and beyond to deliver four full Diamond League events and four Diamond League exhibition meetings, seven Continental Tour Gold events, a World Half Marathon Championships and a number of innovative virtual events including the Ultimate Garden Clash,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

“Whilst this was not the year any of us had planned for, I am proud of our athletes, our meeting organisers and the World Athletics team for their tenacity and determination. This is what we will celebrate at this year’s Annual Awards.”

As well as male and female athlete of the year awards, honours will include the president’s award, coaching achievement award and athletics photograph of the year, as well as a Covid inspiration award, athletes community award and member federations award.

For the male and female athlete of the year awards, a three-way voting process – split between the World Athletics Council, the World Athletics Family and the worldwide community of athletics fans – will determine the five men and five women finalists.

The nominees for male athlete of the year will be announced on November 2 and the nominees for female athlete of the year on November 3.

The Covid inspiration award will recognise an individual or group of individuals whose efforts, despite the challenges of 2020, have resulted in the delivery of a particularly inspiring athletics event or experience, while the member federations award will recognise a member federation that has managed to deliver an uplifting athletics event, development event or experience in spite of this year’s challenges.

The athletes community award comes from athletes to a group of individuals who have helped and supported them and their communities throughout trying times.

The awards event will be streamed live on the World Athletics YouTube channel.

Last year Eliud Kipchoge and Dalilah Muhammad were named world athletes of the year, while the 2018 winners were Kipchoge and Caterine Ibarguen (pictured).

AW readers will also have the chance to vote for their athletes of the year in the AW Awards, launching in the November edition of AW magazine and in the AW Clubhouse.