The biennial event has never been held in Oceania since its inception in 1985.
New Zealand wants to host the 2028 World Indoor Championships.
The nation has never before hosted the biennial event, which was first organized in Paris in 1985, and hopes to be the first from Oceania.
By: The Herald:the application received the support of the New Zealand government. Such is the level of support that the country’s sports minister Chris Bishop met world athletics president Seb Coe at the Olympics to discuss the plans.
Athletics New Zealand chief executive Cam Mitchell also backed the proposals and said The Herald:“We hope this will be a good positioning for the sport in general. We see a lot of rugby, cricket, netball and football here, but events like this at an elite level don’t happen very often.”
Given that the World Indoors takes place in early March, this means that if New Zealand were to win the bid, the event would take place in the country’s late summer/early autumn.
With milder temperatures at that time of year compared to the northern hemisphere, it also gives New Zealand the opportunity to host the championship outdoors, potentially somewhere such as Auckland’s Eden Park or the new One New Zealand stadium in Christchurch, which is set to open. in 2026.
Hamish Kerr (Getty)
That’s because World Athletics last year renamed “indoor athletics” to “short track” in an effort to encourage the innovation of outdoor competition.
It means the 200m short track will no longer be limited to an indoor environment, including the governing body’s benchmark championships.
The main requirements for hosting the championship will be an arena/stadium with a minimum capacity of 5,000 people and a six-lane oval track, plus eight for straights.
New Zealand also boasts a number of athletics stars such as Hamish Kerr, Maddie Weshe, Tom Walsh, Zoe Hobbs, Eliza McCartney and George Beamish.
Both Kerr and Beamish won gold medals in the high jump and 3000m respectively at the World Indoors in Glasgow and said it would be an incredible opportunity for New Zealand to host the championships.
“It will be about selling the experience to the Europeans, but getting them all over here will be a challenge,” Kerr said. NewstalkZB.
“I think we have a really good comparative advantage. Obviously being in the summer means they can come down here and do a training block from the cold, European winters.”
Gerdy Beamish (Getty)
Earlier this year, Beamish said AW: that “Australia have shown over the last few years that there is really good potential for some good matches.”
He added: “It’s so hard to imagine (the World Championships) being possible in New Zealand, but a short track championship would be much more realistic. It would be crazy to see and attract a lot of fans. I think people in New Zealand are proud of any sport.”
Applications of interest for the 2028 event must be submitted by December, with the final application due by July next year.
The World Athletics Council will award the hosting rights for the 2028 and 2030 Games next September.
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