South African athlete Caster Semenya, a double Olympic champion who is barred from competing in some races because she refuses to undergo treatment to reduce her testosterone levels, appealed for help on Friday to finance her legal battle against this regulation.

The World Athletics Heritage Award, created by World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe, recognises "an outstanding contribution to the global history and development of the sport". The announcement comes with just a few days left to enter the Great North Run ballot, the organisation informed.

Spanish athlete Mohamed Katir, the reigning world 5000m runner-up, announced in an official statement on Wednesday that he had been "provisionally suspended" by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for "a violation resulting from three whereabouts failures in the last twelve months". 

Kenyan athlete Michael Saruni, 28, has been banned for four years after he was caught trying to send a proxy to a doping test. The 800m runner tried to cheat his way through the test at the national trials for the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games in Nairobi in June 2022. 

US long jumper Bob Beamon parted with the Olympic gold medal he won at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City with an epic leap of 8.90 metres (29 feet) - the standing Olympic record - for $441,000 on Thursday.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike met with World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and CEO Jon Ridgeon on Monday to discuss the organisation of the 20th World Athletics Championships, which will take place in Tokyo from 13 September 2025.

Only those who have completed a marathon know how difficult it is to run 42,195 metres, the legendary distance that inspired the Greek messenger Pheidippides when he ran from Marathon to Athens in 480 BC to bring news of a key event in the Battle of Marathon.

Last Friday saw a crucial meeting took place in Birmingham where the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) discussed the 2026 European Athletics Championships in light of the lack of resources and financial challenges facing England's second largest city.

Hammer thrower Hanna Skydan is one of Azerbaijan's best track and field options at Paris 2024, as is Cuban-born triple jumper Alexis Copello, a two-time European champion and eighth at London 2012 (still competing for Cube).

Nina Kennedy took the top honours following her memorable performance at the World Championships in Budapest, where she shared the pole vault world crown with Olympic champion Katie Moon.

Russia, embroiled in a long-running dispute with the world's major sporting institutions, has just appointed three former athletes banned for doping, Yelena Lashmanova, Sergei Kirdyapkin and Olga Kanishkina, as coaches of the national team.

The Italian naturalised US shot putter, who will not be competing at Paris 2024, blamed a "mistake on his mobile phone" when he was asked to take part in the mandatory random testing of athletes, according to Italian media.

Following the announcement of significant losses at UK Athletics, former Olympic heptathlon champion, Dame Denise Lewis, has been appointed President of UK Athletics.

For the first time in history, it's not been two, but six athletes who have been awarded by World Athletics: Tigist Assefa, Mondo Duplantis, Kelvin Kiptum, Faith Kipyegon, Noah Lyles, and Yulimar Rojas were announced as World Athletes of the Year for 2023 during the ceremony in the Principality of Monaco.

The future stars of Australian athletics will take their first steps strides towards greatness in Perth this weekend as the 2023 Chemist Warehouse Australian All Schools Athletics Championships will unveil a new crop of champions.