Posted in: 15/07/2022 – 01:10
Eugene (United States) (AFP) – The World Council of the International Association of Athletics Federations announced Thursday that the Japanese capital was chosen to host the 20th edition of the World Championships in 2025, four years after it organized the Olympic Games in a closed stadium due to the “Covid-19” virus.
“In 2025, Tokyo will have the opportunity to fill its Olympic stadium with athletics fans who were denied the opportunity to attend the Tokyo Olympics due to epidemic restrictions,” the International Federation wrote in a press release.
Tokyo overtook the cities of Singapore, Nairobi and Silesia (Poland).
“Following very strong bids to host the 2025 World Championships in Athletics, Tokyo has submitted a convincing candidate,” said British IAAF President Sebastian Coe.
“I hope this will be a shining light for Japan as it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Japan Athletics Association in 2025, by bringing world-class athletics back to the people of Tokyo,” he added.
It is the second time that Tokyo will host the World Championships after the first in 1991, in a version that saw the American Mike Powell break the world record in the long jump (8.95 m), which is still standing so far, erasing another record for his compatriot Bob Beamon is (8.90 m). achieved in 1968.
“History has shown that we have the ability and energy to host the world’s best athletes and inspire international fans,” JFA President Mitsuji Ogata said in a statement.
“We promise that the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo will be full of fans and become an unforgettable experience for the athletes and every participant,” he added.
The International Federation Council met on Wednesday and Thursday on the sidelines of the eighteenth edition of the World Championship, which begins Friday in Eugene, Oregon, after it was postponed for a year due to the Corona pandemic.
It is the first time that the World Athletics Championships will be held in the United States.
The nineteenth edition will be held next year in Budapest.
© 2022 AFP