Some of the world's finest athletes, including the stellar high jumpers, France's pole vault world record holder Renaud Lavillenie and Ethiopia's world indoor 3,000 metres champion Genzebe Dibaba  have converged on Marrakech to produce one final heave to their year in the two-day competition, which is due to start tomorrow. 

Teams from Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Americas will contest total prize money of $2.9 million (£1.8 million/€2.4 million) in an event which first took place in Split four years ago but which has its origins in the IAAF World Cup series which began in 1977 and ran until 2006.

Two athletes will represent each team in the individual competitions, with winners scoring eight points, runners-up scoring seven, and so on.

Along with Lavillenie and Bondarenko in the Europe team will be the most recent of world record-breakers, Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk, who set a new mark in the hammer of 79.58m in Berlin on August 31.

Poland's Anita Wlodarczyk, pictured atop the European podium in Zurich, followed up with a world record hammer throw of 79.58m on August 31 and will next compete for Europe in this weekend's second IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakech ©Getty Images

Other world-leading European athletes competing include 100m runners James Dasaolu of Britain and Christophe Lemaitre of France, Russia's European 110m hurdles champion Sergey Shubenkov, the Czech Republic's Olympic and European javelin champion Barbora Spotakova and European 100 and 200m champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands.

Barshim's Asia-Pacific team includes New Zealand's Olympic and world shot put gold medallist Valerie Adams and Australia's former world discus champion Dani Samuels.

The African team features respective world 800 and 1500m champions Mohammed Aman of Ethiopia and Asbel Kiprop of Kenya, with Botswana's Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos joining the Ethiopian in the shorter event, while in the men's 3,000m steeplechase the points look likely to go the way of Kenya's Jairus Birech, this year's Diamond Race winner.

Botswana's Commonwealth Games 800 metres champion Nijel Amos will be one of Africa's main hopes for success at the IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakech ©Getty Images

In the women's 1500m Kenya's Hellen Obiri, second in this year's rankings with 3min 57.05sec, will take on the Dutch woman one place above her, Sifan Hassan, who has clocked 3:57.00 and has taken European gold this season.

The presence of  Olympic silver and bronze medallists, respectively Erik Kynard and Derek Drouin, in the Americas team will ensure even greater competitive pressure in the high jump.

The Americas will be looking for top marks from their world 400m champion from the United States, LaShawn Merritt, and from fellow American Bernard Lagat in the 3,000m.

There will be high expectations too of Caterine Ibarguen, Colombia's world triple jump champion, and America's 2008 Olympic 100m hurdles champion Dawn Harper-Nelson.

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