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FINA [Federation Internationale de Natation] announced on Sunday that it would bar all transgender women who had experienced any stage of male puberty from racing in women's events.

It marked a distinct shift in policy for a major sport and was welcomed by long-time campaigners, including the British former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies.

There have been calls for other sports to following swimming's example and move away from eligibility policies that are based on testosterone limits; however, LGBT advocacy groups have strongly criticised FINA's move.

US-based group Athlete Ally said FINA's restrictions were "discriminatory, harmful, unscientific and not in line with the 2021 IOC [International Olympic Committee] principles".

The swimming authority said the regulation had been voted in by a 71.5 per cent majority after FINA commission members heard from an athletes' group, a science and medicine group, and a legal and human rights group.

Athletics has yet to commit to a similar policy, but Coe's indication of support for FINA's position points to that being a possibility in the future.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Coe said: "We see an international federation asserting its primacy in setting rules, regulations and policies that are in the best interest of its sport.

"This is as it should be. We have always believed that biology trumps gender and we will continue to review our regulations in line with this. We will follow the science.

"We continue to study, research and contribute to the growing body of evidence that testosterone is a key determinant in performance, and have scheduled a discussion on our regulations with our council at the end of the year."

European Athletics announced on Thursday that the Championships will not take place at the Charlety Stadium from August 25-30 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Paris 2020 Local Organising Committee (LOC) and Federation Francaise d'Athletisme (FFA) made the decision to call the event off at an extraordinary LOC Executive Committee meeting.

European Athletics interim president Dobromir Karamarinov said: "We had hoped in these troubled times to offer European athletes a major event to aim for at the end of this summer.

"Unfortunately, today we were informed by the LOC and French athletics federation that, after discussions with the relevant French national and local public health and safety authorities, they were no longer able to proceed with delivering the championships this August and were forced to cancel the event.

"Whilst we regret announcing the cancellation of our European Athletics Championships, it is worth reiterating that in these unprecedented times the health and safety of all athletics' stakeholders including athletes, fans, officials, partners and everyone connected with the sport is paramount. We will always do what is best for the members of our athletics family and the wider public."

A further two Diamond League meetings scheduled to take place in June were postponed earlier in the day but plans for an exhibition event in Oslo on June 11 were revealed.

There is due to be a world record attempt from world 400 metres hurdles champion Karsten Warholm on home soil and a pole vault battle between world record holder Mondo Duplantis and Renaud Lavillenie.

The hour-long event, which will be shown live by Norway's public broadcaster NRK, will ensure a full observation of the country's coronavirus regulations and social distancing rules.

Organisers stressed that a full programme is yet to be confirmed and is subject to change.

Diack was president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) now World Athletics from 1999 to 2015. In September 2020, he was found guilty of soliciting millions of Euros from athletes to cover up doping test results that enabled them to continue competing.

A court in France also found that he paid off other IAAF officials as part of the cover-up.

He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment but was released on bail and was under house arrest in France.

Lyles, running on his own in Florida as part of the Inspiration Games event, crossed the line in a rapid 18.90 seconds. 

It appeared the record of 19.19s Usain Bolt set at the 2009 World Championships had gone, but BBC commentator Steve Cram was among those to question the time. 

"That cannot be right," said Cram. "Even he has got his hands in the air wondering what is going on." 

It was then revealed that world champion Lyles had run 15m less than his opponents competing at other tracks, as he had started in the wrong lane. 

The 22-year-old subsequently missed out on a $10,000 winner's cheque, with Christophe Lemaitre taking victory in a time of 20.65 at Letzigrund. 

Lyles tweeted: "You can’t be playing with my emotions like this.... got me in the wrong lane smh [shaking my head]." 

After claiming gold and bronze in the 400m and 4x400m relay respectively at the Tokyo Olympics, the 36-year-old will retire having won 11 Olympic medals including seven gold.

In November 2018, Felix gave birth via emergency Caesarian at 32 weeks, but returned to the track less than a year later to become the most successful athlete in World Championships history.

Felix has the potential to add to her 13 world titles at this year's World Championships in Oregon in June

"As a little girl they called chicken legs, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined a career like this," Felix wrote in an Instagram post.

"I have so much gratitude for this sport that has changed my life. I have given everything I have to running and for the first time I'm not sure I have anything left to give.

"I want to say goodbye and thank you to the people who have helped shape me the only way I know – with one last run."

In 2019, Felix contested the issue of maternity pay after revealing in the New York Times that sponsors Nike wanted to reduce her pay by 70 per cent once she became a mother. 

"This season isn't about the time on the clock, it's simply about joy," she said.

"This season, I'm running for women. I'm running for a better future for my daughter. I'm running for you."

The IAAF Diamond League begins in May in Doha.

In 2019, Russia was handed a four-year ban from major international sporting events by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

WADA declared the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) non-compliant over inconsistencies in anti-doping data discovered during an investigation.

At the time, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reiterated its support for Russia's ban, which meant athletes would be unable to compete under the Russian flag at the 2020 Olympics or the 2022 Winter Games.

In a landmark move on Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed Russia would be banned, albeit with the time frame cut from four years to two.

That will still discount Russia from participating in the Tokyo Olympics – pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic – plus the Winter Games in Beijing in 2022, and the next World Cup.

Russia will, however, be able to compete at the Euro 2020 football finals, which is also scheduled to take place next year, having been another event impacted by COVID-19.

This is because WADA's international standard for code compliance by signatories does not list UEFA as a "major event organisation".

Russian athletes wishing to compete at the Tokyo and Beijing Games will be able to do so, but only under a neutral banner.

CAS stated in its announcement: "This panel has imposed consequences to reflect the nature and seriousness of the non-compliance [to the WADC] and to ensure that the integrity of sport against the scourge of doping is maintained.

"The consequences which the panel has decided to impose are not as extensive as those sought by WADA. This should not, however, be read as any validation of the conduct of RUSADA or the Russian authorities."

CAS also said that its ruling aims to "effect cultural change and encourage the next generation of Russian athletes to participate in clean international sport".

In order to be reinstated at the end of the two-year ban, it was also ruled that RUSADA must pay a contribution of $1.27million to WADA, in respect of the costs incurred in investigating the authenticity of the data retrieved from the Moscow laboratory in January 2019.

RUSADA, under supervision from WADA or the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), was told it must conduct investigations into any cases impacted by the deletions or alterations of the Moscow laboratory data.

The Russian organisation must also provide any other support requested by WADA to assist in determining whether athletes whose samples are listed in the Moscow laboratory database have a case to answer.

That was the stark warning issued on Wednesday by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which urged World Athletics to get tough if RusAF officials linked to the Danil Lysenko saga are shown to have been involved in anti-doping rule violations.

High-jumper Lysenko, a silver medallist at the 2017 World Championships, was competing as a neutral athlete following the suspension of RusAF when, in June 2018, he was notified of a third 'whereabouts' failure and served with a provisional suspension.

The AIU investigated the explanations provided by Lysenko, concluding the explanations were false and supported by forged documents, leading to charges against RusAF figures including president Dmitry Shlyakhtin and executive director Alexander Parkin, plus the athlete and his coach Evgeniy Zagorulko.

In all, seven individuals were charged, and RusAF was given until December 12 to respond, with that deadline later extended.

However, the AIU delivered a scathing verdict on RusAF's reaction to the charges on Wednesday, accusing it of trying to deflect blame and failing to demonstrate any accountability.

The AIU said in a statement: "The AIU board finds it regrettable that, in the face of clear and compelling evidence, RusAF has chosen not to admit to the acts and omissions of the employees, directors and representatives of RusAF for which it is liable under the anti-doping rules.

"In the AIU board's view, a responsible member federation in the circumstances would have admitted the charges and shown contrition for its conduct, but RusAF has chosen to do neither.

"Instead, RusAF has gone to great lengths to deny any involvement in the matter, blame others and attack the process. This approach is deeply concerning for the AIU board as it seems to indicate that the current leadership of the federation is merely a continuation of the former."

Russia's situation could result in none of its track and field athletes being allowed to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where they are already unable to enter under the country's flag.

Until charges in the Lysenko case are resolved, the AIU recommended suspending the practice of allowing Russians who meet certain criteria to compete as neutral competitors.

Pointing to RusAF's "total lack of contrition for its conduct" and "the fact that the previous sanctions of World Athletics have apparently failed to deter RusAF from reoffending", the AIU said the World Athletics Council should "consider recommending to the World Athletics Congress that RusAF be expelled from membership".

Responding to the AIU declaration, World Athletics said Russia would consider the call for expulsion if RusAF continues to deny any fault and if the Court of Arbitration for Sport upholds the charges.

World Athletics - previously known as the IAAF - said it would write to the acting RusAF president and to Russia's sports minister warning of the potential consequences of "their current 'blanket denials' approach".

However, an olive branch will also be offered to Russia.

The letter will spell out that if the charges are admitted to the World Athletics Council, then RusAF would face sanctions but would avoid expulsion, while a new process to reinstate the suspended membership of RusAF would also be decided upon.

RusAF has been out in the cold since 2015.

Importantly, World Athletics also said it would "decide on a new process for Russian athletes to apply for 'authorised neutral athlete' status moving forward", meaning Tokyo 2020 may not close its doors entirely to competitors from the country.

Despite the pandemic wreaking havoc upon the international track and field calendar, the Jamaican managed to put together a series of strong performances.  Thompson-Herah ran unbeaten over seven races in which she also set a world-leading 10.85 over the 100m at the Diamond League meeting in Rome. She also closed the season with a strong 10.87s in Doha.

Making the final five with Thompson-Herah are Letesenbet Gidey (Ethiopia) Sifan Hassan, Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir, and Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela).  Gidey set a world record of 14:06.62 over 5000m and was second in the 5000m at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco. Hassan also set a world record in the one hour run as well as a European record of 29:36.67 over 10,000m, the fourth-fastest performance in history.  Jepchirchir won the world half marathon title and twice broke the world half-marathon record, while Rojas was undefeated in four triple jump competitions indoors and outdoors and broke the world indoor triple jump record with 15.43m.

The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced live at the World Athletics Awards 2020 to be staged as a virtual event on Saturday 5 December and streamed live on the World Athletics YouTube channel, its Facebook page, and via Twitter.

The ban comes a week after World Athletics announced their own outlawing of male-to-female transgender competitors who have been through male puberty competing in women's elite events.

The move received support from former Olympians such as swimmer Sharron Davies and decathlon great Daley Thompson, though it also came under fire from some LGBTQ+ campaign groups.

Both bans will come into force from March 31.

"UK Athletics notes the revised World Athletics Eligibility Regulations for Transgender Athletes released on 23 March 2023 and coming into effect on 31 March 2023," a statement read.

"It is fair for athletes who have gone through male puberty to be excluded from the female category in Athletics.

"UK Athletics acknowledges and appreciates the efforts made by World Athletics to protect the female category in Athletics.

"From midnight on 31 March 2023, UK Athletics applies the World Athletics Transgender Regulations to all athletics competitions and events in the United Kingdom where the licence for the competition or event is granted by UK Athletics."

On Tuesday, it was confirmed the Tokyo Olympics – which had been due to start in July – has been postponed to 2021 due to the ongoing crisis.

World Athletics has welcomed the decision, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) having initially been reluctant to postpone the showpiece event.

It appears inevitable the World Athletics Championship, due to be held in Oregon in August 2021, will be nudged back a year to 2022 as a result.

Though disappointed at the 2020 schedule being hugely affected, Coe suggested there is now an opportunity to reinvigorate athletics.

"When we get through this, and we will, we will be braver and more innovative," Coe wrote in an open letter on Friday.

"We will be more collaborative and resilient. We will be stronger and more tolerant. We will be more global, not less.

"In sport we have a unique opportunity not to tiptoe around things and tweak at the edges. We have the chance to think bigger, to rip up the blueprints and banish the 'that's the way we've always done it' mentality."

Coe added: "The situation the world finds itself in today is a huge wake-up call for all of us – as human beings, as businesses and as sport. We should capitalise on this and work out new ways of delivering events, create and plan new events that embrace the many as well as the few.

"We can use this time to innovate and extend our sport across the year. Rather than just focusing on one-day meetings and one-day road races at one end of the spectrum and 10-day extravaganzas at the other end, we should look at weekend festivals of running, jumping and throwing that take advantage of the southern and northern hemisphere seasons.

"We should work with governments to re-establish sport in schools, rebuild club structures, incentivise people to exercise and get fit. This should and could be the new normal. We don't have to do things the same way.

"The priority for all of us right now is to contain the pandemic, stay healthy and stay home. But where we can continue to drive our sport forward, we must."

Coe also revealed his organisation will do all it can to ensure the outdoor season of one-day meetings goes ahead as soon as it is safe, with Diamond League events having been postponed until at least June.

The Ecuadorian sports ministry said Quinonez was found dead in the street on Friday.

Quinonez made history when he became the Ecuadorian athlete to win a global medal in a track event at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, and he held national records at every sprint distance.

The sports ministry tweeted: "With great sadness, we confirm the murder of our sportsman Alex Quinonez.

"We have lost a great sportsman, someone who allowed us to dream, who moved us....he was the greatest sprinter this country produced."

Spanish football club Barcelona said Quinonez had been a part of the athletics squad in their wider sporting set-up.

Ecuador president Guillermo Lasso tweeted on Saturday: "We are very sorry for the painful loss of Alex Quinonez, father, son, a great sprinter. Our sincere condolences to his loved ones. Rest in peace.

"Those who take the lives of Ecuadorians will not go unpunished. We will act forcefully."

Colombia's world and Olympic 400m silver medallist Anthony Zambrano, a training partner of Quinonez's, posted on social media: "Brother, I cannot believe it’s true.

"We do not deserve this. What awful news. It's a shame that life is such, but to die one has to be alive. You are great and I will always cherish you in my heart."

Barcelona stated: "Alex Quinonez had been an FC Barcelona athlete for three years since 2018."

The club's athletics technical director Vicente Egido said: "The whole athletics community is shocked by this news. Alex was an excellent person and very much a Barca man, and who was highly committed to competing, and enjoying competing, for Barca."

There was also praise for its stance, notably from former Olympians including swimmer Sharron Davies and decathlon great Daley Thompson.

The global governing body for track and field announced its decision on Thursday, and it will come into force from March 31.

World Athletics said it had spoken to a wide range of stakeholders before reaching its conclusion, with president Sebastian Coe saying: "Decisions are always difficult when they involve conflicting needs and rights between different groups, but we continue to take the view that we must maintain fairness for female athletes above all other considerations.

"We will be guided in this by the science around physical performance and male advantage which will inevitably develop over the coming years. As more evidence becomes available, we will review our position, but we believe the integrity of the female category in athletics is paramount."

Davies responded on Twitter, writing: "Thank you @sebcoe & @WorldAthletics for standing up for female athletes across the world who are worthy of fair sport"

Thompson added: "@sebcoe & @WorldAthletics have just given me another couple of reasons to love them."

The LGBTQ+ campaign group Stonewall took a different perspective, stating: "It is so disappointing to see World Athletics announce a unilateral ban on trans women in track and field events. Their own statement recognises that there are no trans women competing at an international level and that they have no specific evidence to justify the ban.

"We stand with trans people who now have the door closed on their chance to compete in athletic sports at an international level."

Athlete Ally, a US-based group which states its aim is to "champion LGBTQI+ equality", was also critical of the stance taken by World Athletics.

Its founder Hudson Taylor said: "We are beyond devastated to see World Athletics succumbing to political pressure instead of core principles of inclusion, fairness and non-discrimination for transgender athletes and athletes with intersex traits.

"The guidelines announced today go against inclusive guidelines from the International Olympic Committee as well as extensive research showing that transgender women do not have an inherent advantage in sport.

"Sebastian Coe states that these guidelines are an attempt to protect women's sport, but in fact these guidelines do nothing to address what we know to be the actual, proven threats to women's sports: unequal pay, rampant sexual abuse and harassment, lack of women in leadership and inequities in resources for women athletes.

"What these guidelines mean on a human level is that a young transgender girl who dreams of one day seeing herself on an Olympic stage will now have those dreams cruelly dashed."

While World Athletics says it has extensive research on athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD), it says its bank of information regarding transgender athletes is not as great.

It said: "There are currently no transgender athletes competing internationally in athletics and consequently no athletics-specific evidence of the impact these athletes would have on the fairness of female competition in athletics. In these circumstances, the council decided to prioritise fairness and the integrity of the female competition before inclusion."