# IAAF Continental Cup

The IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field competition organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
The event was proposed by IAAF former President Primo Nebiolo and was first held in 1977 as the IAAF World Cup. The event was initially held every two years, but following the establishment of the World Athletics Championships it moved to a quadrennial basis. The 1989 edition was held the same year as the World Indoor Championships, then moved to the even-year between the Summer Olympics, ensuring the sport of athletics had a global competition in all years.
The original format included separate men's and women's competitions consisting of 21 events each, with team points being awarded for the finishing position of each athlete. Eight teams, five continental and three national, entered an athlete in each event: if the stadium had a ninth lane, the host nation would also be permitted to enter.
The eight entrants included the United States, the top two nations in the preceding European Cup and continental teams comprising Africa, Asia, Oceania, the rest of the Americas (North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association and Confederación Sudamericana de Atletismo), and the rest of Europe.
From 2010, the event was rebranded to the IAAF Continental Cup, with the national teams being removed, and team scoring incorporated both the sexes. Two athletes per individual event were entered by four regional teams: Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe and the Americas), though the regions had only one team each for the relay events.
After a decision at the 206th IAAF Council Meeting, held after the 2016 Summer Olympics, long-distance events were removed from the programme, and the 4 × 400 metres relay event was modified to a mixed-gender event.
A nation-based competition, the Athletics World Cup, was staged in 2018 by an independent promoter. The IAAF competition was briefly rebranded as the World Athletics Continental Cup in 2019, but the event was scrapped in March 2020.

## Results
### IAAF World Cup

| Edition | Year | Venue | Division | Cup winners | Second place | Third place |
| 1st | 1977 | Düsseldorf | Men | East Germany | United States | West Germany |
| 1st | 1977 | Düsseldorf | Women | Europe | East Germany | Soviet Union |
| 2nd | 1979 | Montreal | Men | United States | Europe | East Germany |
| 2nd | 1979 | Montreal | Women | East Germany | Soviet Union | Europe |
| 3rd | 1981 | Rome | Men | Europe | East Germany | United States |
| 3rd | 1981 | Rome | Women | East Germany | Europe | Soviet Union |
| 4th | 1985 | Canberra | Men | United States | Soviet Union | East Germany |
| 4th | 1985 | Canberra | Women | East Germany | Soviet Union | Europe |
| 5th | 1989 | Barcelona | Men | United States | Europe | Great Britain |
| 5th | 1989 | Barcelona | Women | East Germany | Soviet Union | America |
| 6th | 1992 | Havana | Men | Africa | Great Britain | Europe |
| 6th | 1992 | Havana | Women | Unified Team | Europe | America |
| 7th | 1994 | London | Men | Africa | Great Britain | America |
| 7th | 1994 | London | Women | Europe | America | Germany |
| 8th | 1998 | Johannesburg | Men | Africa | Europe | Germany |
| 8th | 1998 | Johannesburg | Women | United States | Europe | Africa |
| 9th | 2002 | Madrid | Men | Africa | Europe | United States |
| 9th | 2002 | Madrid | Women | Russia | Europe | America |
| 10th | 2006 | Athens | Men | Europe | United States | Africa |
| 10th | 2006 | Athens | Women | Russia | Europe | America |

### IAAF Continental Cup

| Year | Venue | | Cup winners | Second place | Third place | Fourth place |
| 2010 | Split, Croatia | Overall | Americas | Europe | Africa | Asia/Pacific |
| 2010 | Split, Croatia | Points | 424.5 | 410 | 295 | 292.5 |
| 2010 | Split, Croatia | Men | Europe | Americas | Africa | Asia/Pacific |
| 2010 | Split, Croatia | Women | Americas | Europe | Africa | Asia/Pacific |
| 2014 | Marrakesh, Morocco | Overall | Europe | Americas | Africa | Asia/Pacific |
| 2014 | Marrakesh, Morocco | Points | 447.5 | 390 | 339 | 257.5 |
| 2014 | Marrakesh, Morocco | Men | Europe | Americas | Africa | Asia/Pacific |
| 2014 | Marrakesh, Morocco | Women | Europe | Americas | Africa | Asia/Pacific |
| 2018 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | Overall | Americas | Europe | Asia/Pacific | Africa |
| 2018 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | Points | 262 | 233 | 188 | 142 |

## Cup records

Key to tables:  not ratified or later rescinded by IAAF

### Men

| Event | Record | Name | Nationality | Team | Date | Games |
| 100 m | 9.87 (−0.2 m/s) | Obadele Thompson | Barbados | Americas | 11 September 1998 | 1998 Johannesburg |
| 200 m | 19.87 (+0.1 m/s) | Wallace Spearmon | United States | United States | 17 September 2006 | 2006 Athens |
| 400 m | 44.22 | Jeremy Wariner | United States | Americas | 4 September 2010 | 2010 Split |
| 800 m | 1:43.37 | David Rudisha | Kenya | Africa | 5 September 2010 | 2010 Split |
| 1500 m | 3:31.20 | Bernard Lagat | United States | United States | 20 September 2002 | 2002 Madrid |
| 3000 m | 7:32.19 | Craig Mottram | Australia | Oceania | 17 September 2006 | 2006 Athens |
| 5000 m | 13:13.82 | Miruts Yifter | Ethiopia | Africa | 3 July 1977 | 1977 Düsseldorf |
| 10,000 m | 27:38.43 | Werner Schildhauer | East Germany | East Germany | 4 September 1981 | 1981 Rome |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:09.67 | Richard Mateelong | Kenya | Africa | 5 September 2010 | 2010 Split |
| 110 m hurdles | 12.96 (+0.4 m/s) | Allen Johnson | United States | United States | 17 September 2006 | 2006 Athens |
| 400 m hurdles | 47.37 | Edwin Moses | United States | United States | 4 September 1981 | 1981 Rome |
| 400 m hurdles | 47.37 | Abderrahman Samba | Qatar | Asia-Pacific | 8 September 2018 | 2018 Ostrava |
| High jump | 2.40 m | Javier Sotomayor | Cuba | Americas | 11 September 1994 | 1994 London |
| Pole vault | 5.95 m | Steve Hooker | Australia | Oceania | 5 September 2010 | 2010 Split |
| Long jump | 8.52 m (±0.0 m/s) | Larry Myricks | United States | United States | 26 September 1979 | 1979 Montreal |
| Triple jump | 17.61 m (+0.6 m/s) | Yoelbi Quesada | Cuba | Americas | 10 September 1994 | 1994 London |
| Shot put | 22.00 m | Ulf Timmermann | East Germany | East Germany | 5 October 1985 | 1985 Canberra |
| Discus throw | 71.25 m | Róbert Fazekas | Hungary | Europe | 21 September 2002 | 2002 Madrid |
| Hammer throw | 82.68 m | Tibor Gécsek | Hungary | Europe | 12 September 1998 | 1998 Johannesburg |
| Javelin throw | 89.26 m | Andreas Thorkildsen | Norway | Europe | 5 September 2010 | 2010 Split |
| 4 × 100 m relay | 37.59 | Kaaron Conwright Wallace Spearmon Tyson Gay Jason Smoots | United States | United States | 16 September 2006 | 2006 Athens |
| 4 × 400 m relay | 2:59.00 | Nery Brenes (CRC) Bershawn Jackson (USA) Greg Nixon (USA) Ricardo Chambers (JAM) | Various | Americas | 5 September 2010 | 2010 Split |

### Women

| Event | Record | Name | Nationality | Date | Games | Ref. |
| 100 m | 10.65 (+1.1 m/s) | Marion Jones | United States | United States | 12 September 1998 | 1998 Johannesburg |
| 200 m | 21.62 (−0.6 m/s) | Marion Jones | United States | United States | 11 September 1998 | 1998 Johannesburg |
| 400 m | 47.60 | Marita Koch | East Germany | East Germany | 6 October 1985 | 1985 Canberra |
| 800 m | 1:54.44 | Ana Fidelia Quirot | Cuba | Americas | 9 September 1989 | 1989 Barcelona |
| 1500 m | 4:00.84 | Maryam Yusuf Jamal | Bahrain | Asia | 17 September 2006 | 2006 Athens |
| 3000 m | 8:27.50 | Sifan Hassan | Netherlands | Europe | 8 September 2018 | 2018 Ostrava |
| 5000 m | 14:39.11 | Meseret Defar | Ethiopia | Africa | 17 September 2006 | 2006 Athens |
| 10,000 m | 30:52.51 | Elana Meyer | South Africa | Africa | 10 September 1994 | 1994 London |
| 100 m hurdles | 12.47 (+0.7 m/s) | Dawn Harper-Nelson | United States | Americas | 14 September 2014 | 2014 Marrakech |
| 400 m hurdles | 52.96 | Nezha Bidouane | Morocco | Africa | 11 September 1998 | 1998 Johannesburg |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 9:07.92 | Beatrice Chepkoech | Kenya | Africa | 9 September 2018 | 2018 Ostrava |
| High jump | 2.05 m | Blanka Vlašić | Croatia | Europe | 5 September 2010 | 2010 Split |
| Pole vault | 4.85 m | Anzhelika Sidorova | Russia | Europe | 8 September 2018 | 2018 Ostrava |
| Pole vault | 4.85 m | Katerina Stefanidi | Greece | Europe | 8 September 2018 | 2018 Ostrava |
| Pole vault | 4.85 m | Sandi Morris | United States | Americas | 8 September 2018 | 2018 Ostrava |
| Long jump | 7.27 m (+0.7 m/s) | Heike Drechsler | East Germany | East Germany | 6 October 1985 | 1985 Canberra |
| Triple jump | 15.25 m (+1.7 m/s) | Olga Rypakova | Kazakhstan | Asia | 4 September 2010 | 2010 Split |
| Shot put | 20.98 m | Ilona Slupianek | East Germany | East Germany | 24 August 1979 | 1979 Montreal |
| Discus throw | 71.54 m | Ilke Wyludda | East Germany | East Germany | 10 September 1989 | 1989 Barcelona |
| Hammer throw | 75.46 m | DeAnna Price | United States | Americas | 8 September 2018 | 2018 Ostrava |
| Javelin throw | 65.52 m | Barbora Špotáková | Czech Republic | Europe | 13 September 2014 | 2014 Marrakech |
| Javelin throw | 68.14 m | Mariya Abakumova | Russia | Europe | 4 September 2010 | 2010 Split |
| 4 × 100 m relay | 41.37 | Silke Möller Sabine Günther Ingrid Auerswald Marlies Göhr | East Germany | East Germany | 6 October 1985 | 1985 Canberra |
| 4 × 400 m relay | 3:19.50 | Kirsten Emmelmann Sabine Busch Dagmar Neubauer Marita Koch | East Germany | East Germany | 4 October 1985 | 1985 Canberra |

## Trophy

A silver trophy was presented to winners of the men's competition. The women's equivalent was later remodelled and used for the Continental Cup. The winners' names were engraved around the bottom and the winners would keep a hold of the trophy until the next edition.
As the IAAF World Cup, World Cup trophies were presented to the athletes of the winning team. It was the sole prize awarded by the IAAF for the team category.
As the IAAF Continental Cup, in 2018, a new trophy was unveiled for the winners of the combined team event (men and women). All individual athletes of the winning team were presented with awards for the first time.