Tokyo, Japan has been selected by the World Athletics Council to host the next edition of the World Athletics Championships in 2025 after 2023’s in Budapest, Hungary, The Trumpet gathered.
In its 228th council meeting in Oregon, USA, the world’s athletics governing body added that the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Medulin and Pula in Croatia and the 2026
World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Tallahassee, Florida.
According to them, the 2025 Tokyo event will be a duelling place for top athletes, who will converge in Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, the venue for last year’s Olympic Games.
One thing that is significant about the year 2025 World Athletics Championships as it tallies with the hundredth anniversary of the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF).
However, Tokyo’s emergence as the successful bidder to host the 2025 edition was not a one-horse race as other contenders like Nairobi, Silesia and Singapore also signified interest but the former polled a larger number of votes.
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The council noted that Tokyo seems to have edged other bidders in the ‘potential for a powerful narrative; revenue-generating opportunities for World Athletics; a destination that will enhance the international profile of the sport; and appropriate climate’.
It also added that the Tokyo stadium is one of the biggest in the world with top-class facilities which provided an avenue for athletes’ success in 2025.
In a statement by Sebastian Coe, President of the World Athletics Council, appreciating all the parties that took the time in preparing a bid for the 2025 event, he stated that their attitude proves their commitment to the growth of Athletics.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe thanked all the cities that took the time and effort to prepare bids, showing their commitment to athletics. He reinforced the Council’s wish that all of them continue to discuss future opportunities to host World Athletics events.
Coe said, “Within an extremely strong field of candidates to host the World Athletics Championships 2025, Tokyo offered a compelling bid.
“I hope this will be a shining light for Japan as they celebrate 100 years of the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) in 2025, by bringing world-class athletics back to the people in Tokyo,” he underlined.
In a response, Mitsugi Ogata, President of JAAF, said, “We are immensely proud that World Athletics has demonstrated its confidence and trust in Japan to host the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
“Together with World Athletics as one team, we will capitalise on this opportunity to showcase the best possible global event for growing our sport to a higher level.
“History has shown that we have the ability and energy to host the world’s top athletes and to inspire international audiences.
“We promise that the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo will be full of fans to become an unforgettable experience for the athletes and everyone involved,” he assured.
World Athletics Council point out that one of the most populated cities in the world with 43.8 million people is Tokyo which have an advanced market for athletics and associated growth opportunities.
