The world governing body’s president says innovation remains a big part of his strategy, with the latest council meeting also confirming the 4x100m medley relay and new race walk distances.
World Athletics president Seb Coe says the governing body will continue to explore opportunities for innovation after a successful Olympic year in 2025, although he warns: “Change is hard, but we know how to do it.”
There have been a number of major events, world records and the Paris Olympics in recent months, but work is already underway Final World Championships in Athletics 2026 in Budapest and other ideas include a possible world championship in track running.
“It’s been a fantastic year for our sport, with some stunning performances, strong fan growth and engagement, exceptional broadcast and media coverage and, of course, the Netflix series that put athletics at the center of mainstream entertainment,” said Coe, speaking in Monaco at the closing of the 236th meeting of the World Athletics Council.
“We are once again the No. 1 Olympic sport with the largest broadcast reach of any Olympic sport.”
He added: “I think our sport is stronger than ever, and we need to capitalize on that. Earlier this year, in the first year of our new four-year strategic plan, Pioneering Change, we added a fifth pillar: innovation priority in 2024 and we have had some significant successes, but with a sense of urgency more needs to be done. We must maintain the momentum.
“Change is hard, but we know how to do it. By working closely with our athletes and stakeholders, and using only the most popular and thoroughly tested new concepts, we have an extraordinary opportunity to make a strong and growing sport even stronger and more popular right now.” “.
Mixed relay action (Getty)
Decisions made at the latest council meeting include the 4x100m medley, which will be added to next year’s May 10-11 World Athletics Relay program in Guangzhou.
There are also new official distances for race walks, with the half marathon and marathon replacing 20km and 35km. “It makes it more relatable for most people to understand,” says Coe, who adds that the changes come into effect on January 1, 2026. from
(Getty)
In conjunction with this, the U20 World Championships will see the races move from 10,000m to 5,000m.
The World Cross Country Championships will also move from “even years” to “odd years” after the 2026 event in Tallahassee.
World Cross U20 start (Getty)
Coe was also pleased to announce that the council had removed eight countries from its bid rigging watch list, including Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
Finally, World Athletics says it wants to expand protective measures in sport, with the campaign against gender-based violence a priority.
Coe said: “I am particularly encouraged by the commitment of our athletes to address the topic of gender-based violence as a priority, and the discussions about the role that World Athletics can play in addressing this.”
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