Tokyo announced as host of 2025 World Athletics Championships

The World Athletics Council has selected the Japanese capital of Tokyo host the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Announced on the second day of the 228th World Athletics Council Meeting in the USA, the 2025 World Athletics Championships will see the sport’s biggest stars return to Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, venue for last year’s Olympic Games.

To be held in the year that the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) celebrates its centenary year, the 2025 Championships will potentially see Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium filled with athletics fans who were denied the opportunity to attend the Tokyo 2020 Olympics due to pandemic restrictions.

Selected ahead of competing bids from Singapore, the Kenyan capital of Nairobi and the Polish region of Silesia, Tokyo scored the highest of the four candidates in the bid evaluation across the four focused areas: 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.

As one of the largest athletics stadiums in the world, the main stadium facilities in Tokyo were seen as presenting the best opportunity for athlete success at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. One of the most populated cities in the world with 43.8 million people in the Greater Tokyo area, Tokyo is an advanced market for athletics and associated growth opportunities.

World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe reinforced the Council's wish that each of the unsuccessful bid cities all continue to discuss future opportunities to host World Athletics events, commenting “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 in 2025, by bringing world-class athletics back to the people in Tokyo.”

JAAF President, Mitsugi Ogata added “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."

The 18th edition of the World Athletics Championships begins in the US state of Oregon today (15th July), while Budapest in Hungary will host the 2023 event.

The Council also announced that the 2024 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held in Medulin and Pula in Croatia and its 2026 edition will be held in Tallahassee, Florida, USA.

Image: Women's 1500m track competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Credit: Roibu/Shutterstock.