Jamaica is down to compete alongside Britain, the United States Poland, France, China, South Africa and Germany in the inaugural World Cup from July 14 to 15 at London Stadium, the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2017 IAAF World championships.

 “This is one of the exciting innovative events we are seeing in our sport and our thanks go to British Athletics and the Mayor of London for creating it and hosting it IAAF President Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

“We have 8 lanes, 8 top nations, 8 teams and a host of world class athletes lining up in each event to win the trophy and prize pot. This will be a fast-paced and exhilarating experience for athletes and fans.”

One male and one female athlete from each nation will be selected for every field event and each track race up to 1500 metres, with the total prize pot set at $2 million over two evening sessions.

UK Athletics Chairman Richard Bowker said the World Cup event was an extension of the original idea to host a competition between Britain and the U.S.

An eight-country format was devised to extend the sport’s reach to a new audience because other countries were keen to become involved.

“The two sessions will be in the evening, under lights with straight finals. There will be no heats or rounds so it should be even more exciting,” he said, adding that it might become more than a one-off.

“We hope this can become a major event. The best way to do that is to ensure the success of his first edition,” he said.

He also defended the timing of the event which clashed with the FIFA World Cup finals and Wimbledon.

“We were obviously aware of the dates,” said Bowker, pointing out that organisers were constrained by the stadium sharing arrangement with Premier League soccer club West Ham United.

“There is limited availability. We know the World Cup Final happens in the afternoon, UK time, so we would say that everyone can come along afterwards. What a fantastic weekend of sport that will be.”