JAMAICA — The Jamaican athletics federation's decision to hold their world championships trials during a period typically reserved for Diamond League and other meetings is raising global concerns.

Event organizers fear that staging the trials from June 20-23 would result in high-profile athletes from the Caribbean nation missing their one-day meetings.

Olympic and world hurdles champion Omar McLeod, double Olympic sprint gold medalist Elaine Thompson and twice Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce are among the Jamaicans who typically compete in the Prefontaine Classic in the US.

"That (the June dates) would make it unlikely that the coaches of some of the top Jamaican sprinters would let their athletes compete at Pre and risk serious injury or sub-par performances," Tom Jordan, the meeting director, told Reuters.

Athletics' global governing body, the IAAF, confirmed to Reuters that "there are ongoing discussions between the IAAF and JAAA (the Jamaican Athletics Admninistative Association) about this scheduling issue." It did not elaborate.

JAAA general secretary Garth Gayle said the matter was under discussion. "We are in receipt of the document (from the IAAF) and the board will be discussing the matter most urgently because it impacts many stakeholders," Gayle told Reuters.

As currently scheduled, Jamaica's trials would be held near or during the dates set for the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco and Adidas Boost Boston Games, both on June 16, the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting on June 20 and Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting in Stanford, California on June 30.

"The decision is not good in principle for the world-wide calendar," Ostrava Golden Spike meeting director Jan Zelezny said in an email to Reuters. "It would be more appropriate to stage it when the period is reserved for the national championships in the Americas like USA has it at the end of July."

While the decision would be unlikely to have a major impact on this year's Ostrava meeting in the Czech Republic, "in the past it would be a big problem when we expected stars like Usain Bolt or Asafa Powell," Zelezny said.

The JAAA announced earlier this month that June was "the most convenient date for all stakeholders involved. "Due to the late scheduling of the World Championships in Qatar, Sept. 28-Oct. 6, there was some difficulty in arriving at a date convenient to all parties," it added.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the Prefontaine Classic, North America's only Diamond League meeting, will be held at California's Stanford University this year as work continues on a new World Championship stadium at the traditional site in Eugene, Oregon, officials said on Tuesday.

Stanford’s Cobb Track near San Francisco was deemed the best choice for the June 30 meet after an extensive search on the US West Coast, meet director Tom Jordan said in a statement.

Officials have razed the 100-year-old Hayward Field in Eugene and construction is under way on a 12,500-seat facility that will be expandable to nearly 30,000 for the 2021 world Athletics championships, the first to be held in the United States.

Completion is set for 2020 with Eugene also hosting the US Olympic trials for the Tokyo Olympics the same year. — Reuters