World Athletics look to Tokyo National Stadium to host track and field championships
- The venues for 2025 and 2027 world championships are undecided with Tokyo, Nairobi, Kenya, and Australia having expressed interest
- Sebastian Coe, a two-time Olympic 1,500-meter gold medallist and head of World Athletics, said last year he hoped to bring the championships to Japan
The US$1.4 billion Tokyo National Stadium, built by the Japanese government for last year’s Olympics, is being viewed as a site for track and field’s world championships.
An inspection team from World Athletics – the governing body of the sport – met with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Wednesday and was to tour the stadium on Thursday.
Eugene, Oregon is the venue in July for the next World Championships, which were postponed from 2021 to make way for the Olympics. Budapest, Hungary, is set for 2023.
The venues for 2025 and 2027 are undecided with Tokyo, Nairobi, Kenya, and Australia having expressed interest. Tokyo must be considered as a favourite.
Sebastian Coe, the head of World Athletics, said last year in Japan that he hoped to bring the championships to the city. Coe is not known to be in Tokyo this time.
Many of World Athletics’ sponsorship deals are brokered through Dentsu, the Japanese advertising and public relations giant.
Three of the top four World Athletics’ sponsors are Japan-based companies: athletic apparel manufacturer Asics, watchmaker Seiko, and Japanese electronics company TDK. The other is the Qatar National Bank.
