Los Angeles: The Rio Olympics athletics programme has been modified slightly in a move that will allow American Allyson Felix to attempt a 200m-400m double, the International Association of Athletics Federations said Saturday.

In a release posted on global federation’s website, the IAAF said the International Olympic Committee and Rio Games organizers had agreed to implement “a minor swap between the women’s 200m and 400m hurdles on 15 August.”

Under the new schedule, the first round of the women’s 200m, which was formerly in the evening, will be held in the morning, switching places with the 400m hurdles first round.

The moves means Felix, the Olympic 200m gold medallist and 400m world champion, will now have more than 13 hours between races - rather than little more than an hour between an opening 200m heat and the 400m final.

“This change to the timetable makes it more feasible for women to compete in both the 200m and 400m at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games,” the IAAF said.

Felix’s coach, Bobby Kersee, welcomed the change in comments posted by USA Track and Field on Twitter.

“We’d like to thank the IOC, IAAF and USATF for their successful efforts to change the schedule to allow for a women’s 200-400 double,” Kersee said.

“Being able to pursue the double has been a goal of Allyson Felix’s since she entered the sport,” Kersee added, thanking USATF for lobbying for the change and the IAAF for considering the possibility.

Felix, 30, now has a chance to join American Valerie Brisco-Hooks in 1984 and France’s Marie-Jose Perce in 1996 as the only women to complete an Olympic 200-400 double.

“I am excited for the opportunity to attempt this incredibly difficult feat,” Felix said on her Twitter account. “The schedule was just the first step. The next step is to make the U.S. Olympic team.”

The Olympic 200 metres gold medallist and world 400 metres champion will now have more than 13 hours between races instead the 75 minutes allowed under the original schedule.

“I am excited,” Felix’s coach Bob Kersee said. “She has wanted to do this double and the schedule change gives her a better opportunity to win more medals for the United States.” Felix had sought the change in hopes of becoming only the third woman to win both events in the same Olympics.

American Valerie Brisco-Hooks claimed the honour at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and France’s Marie-Jose Perec won both at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, joining men’s Atlanta double winner Michael Johnson.

Kersee had pushed hard for the change, frequently saying that 200-400 metres runners should be given the same chance that 100-200m sprinters have in the Olympics.

He had already said Felix would run both the 200 and 400 at the U.S. Olympic trials so she would be ready in case the change came through.

USA Track & Field had made the request in December and on Saturday said the change will help elevate the visibility of the sport as a whole on the Olympic stage.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach was not immediately available for comment but appeared to favour the change when asked at last year’s world championships.