China: Beijing to host 2027 World Athletics Championships

BEIJING: The World Athletics Council confirmed that Beijing, China will host the 2027 World Athletics Championships. "The decision was made at the 234th World Athletics Council Meeting, held in Glasgow ahead of the World Athletics Indoor Championships (1-3 March)," a statement from World Athletics read.

This decision marked a momentous comeback for the athletics world to Beijing, nearly two decades after the city successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games. "The 2027 World Athletics Championships will welcome the sport's biggest stars back to Beijing, 12 years on from the Chinese capital's successful staging of athletics' flagship event and almost two decades on from the Beijing Olympic Games," the statement further read.

China will also host next year's World Athletics Indoor Championships, in Nanjing. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe praised Beijing's successful bid, citing the city's past experience hosting the 15th edition of the championships and China's status as a significant sports market.

"Congratulations to Beijing on their successful bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2027, 12 years after our athletes lit up the National Stadium for the 15th edition of our global showpiece," World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said in a statement. "With a population of more than 1.4 billion, China is one of the biggest sports markets in the world. It was the top performer for Wanda Diamond League broadcast consumption in 2023 with a cumulative audience of 368.9 million. This poses a massive opportunity to grow our sport and fan base in one of the biggest commercial markets in the world," he added.

"With the announcement of China as our next host, our last four World Athletics Championships have now been awarded to the world's four largest economies; the USA (Oregon), the EU (Budapest), Japan (Tokyo) and China (Beijing)," Coe stated. Beijing's sports leaders have expressed thanks for the faith put in them and pledged to prepare rigorously for the event. They hope to use the city's unique combination of old charm and modern dynamism to provide a remarkable experience for both players and fans.

Wang Nan, a World Athletics Council Member and Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association thanked the Council for entrusting China with the responsibility of hosting the World Championships, assuring a high-quality tournament. Wang Nan, World Athletics Council Member and Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA), said, "Thank you to World Athletics for the recognition and trust in China and Beijing. The CAA will work together with the Beijing organising committee to make every effort to prepare for the championships, ensure that the championships will be held to the highest quality standard, and strive to present a wonderful World Athletics Championships to make more contributions to the development of athletics across the world."