The  2026  Wanda  Diamond  League  will  not  get  underway  as  schedule  on  May  8  in  Doha  Qatar.

The  opening  meet  of  the  season  has  been  postponed  and  will  now  take  place   on  June  19  at  the  Khalifa International Stadium

In recent weeks, the Diamond league has been monitoring the situation in Doha, working in close coordination with meeting organisers, Qatari authorities and other stakeholders.

They  revealed on Wednesay  that  in the interests of athlete and spectator safety, a decision has now been taken to postpone the meeting and  should conditions allow, it will now be held on June 19.

As temperatures are expected to be higher in Doha in June, the meeting will also be moved from the Qatar Sports Club to the khalifa International Stadium.

The stadium, which hosted both the Diamond League and the World Athletics Championships in 2019, is temperature regulated, allowing athletes to compete safely even in hotter conditions.

The new date will fall between the Bislett Games in Oslo on June 10 and the Paris meet on June 28, making Doha the eighth leg of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League.

The series will now  begin this year in Shanghai on May 16 and end at the Wanda Diamond League final in Brussels September 4-5.

The Diamond League will continue to monitor developments in the middle east in the coming weeks.