The World Athletics announced that the World Athletics Championships 2027 will be hosted by China in Beijing. The announcement came after the withdrawal of Rome’s bid, as the Italian athletics federation was facing multiple hindrances in securing financial support from the government. “The decision was made at the 234th World Athletics Council Meeting, held in Glasgow ahead of the World Athletics Indoor Championships (1-3 March),” A statement from the World Athletics read.
This decision marks a noteworthy comeback of athletics in Beijing twenty years after the city successfully hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games. World Athletics President Sebastian Coe extended his congratulations to Beijing on their successful bid.
“Congratulations to Beijing on their successful bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2027, 12 years after our athletes lit up the National Stadium for the 15th edition of our global showpiece,” Coe stated. He also acknowledged China’s remarkable contribution to the Wanda Diamond League broadcast, noting a cumulative audience of 368.9 million in 2023. “With the announcement of China as our next host, our last four World Athletics Championships have now been awarded to the world’s four largest economies; the USA, the EU, Japan and China,” Coe added in his statement.
Beijing’s sports leaders conveyed their gratitude for the opportunity and pledged to ardently prepare for the event with their focus to create an exceptional experience for both athletes and fans. “Thank you to World Athletics for the recognition and trust in China and Beijing. The CAA will work together with the Beijing organising committee to make every effort to prepare for the championships, ensure that the championships will be held to the highest quality standard, and strive to present a wonderful World Athletics Championships to make more contributions to the development of athletics across the world,” said Wang Nan, World Athletics Council Member and Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association.
China is also set to host the next year’s World Athletics Indoor Championships. It is scheduled to take place in Nanjing. The most recent events of World Athletics Championships took place in Budapest in August, with Tokyo set to host the 2025 event.
