It was introduced in 1993 as an expansion of the IAAF Grand Prix series, adding a second category of competitions in order to support a greater number of meetings the financial benefit of being an official Grand Prix meeting.
Further additions to the Grand Prix II level required a competition to have held permit status for two years.
Athletes earned points at the meetings, dependent upon their finishing position, and the overall points leaders from the wider circuit gained entry to the annual IAAF Grand Prix Final in 1993 to 2002, then the IAAF World Athletics Final from 2003 to 2005.
The role of the Grand Prix II category changed over the years, starting as the second tier of the IAAF Grand Prix before changing to the third tier with the introduction of the IAAF Golden League in 1998.
The category was made defunct in 2006, when the IAAF World Athletics Tour was created.