Nanjing in China will host an IAAF World Challenge event this season ©Getty Images

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has added a new meeting in Nanjing to their World Challenge calendar for 2019.

The World Challenge series, which was formed in 2010, features several one day meets held across the season.

It is seen as the second tier of IAAF events behind the Diamond League series although, unlike in the Diamond League, no overall World Challenge champions are crowned at the end of the season.

Last year nine events were held in total including competitions in Jamaica, Japan, The Netherlands and Spain.

China did not feature on the 2018 calendar, but the country will this year, the IAAF have announced.

Nanjing hosted the Youth Olympic Games in 2014 ©Getty Images
Nanjing hosted the Youth Olympic Games in 2014 ©Getty Images

Nanjing, which hosted the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games and is set to host the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2020, will stage an IAAF World Challenge meeting at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre on May 21.

It will be the fourth event of the series, following competitions in Brazil, Jamaica and Japan.

The IAAF also announced that the Grande Premio Brasil de Atletismo in Bragança Paulista will become the opening event, moving from May 18 last year to April 28 this year, while Madrid will not feature on the calendar in 2019. 

With the addition of Nanjing and the loss of Madrid, the number of events scheduled for this season remains at nine.

Zagreb in Croatia will host the final World Challenge of the season on September 3.