Tokyo to Host World Athletics Championships in 2025

The World Athletics Council announced on Thursday that the Japanese capital, Tokyo, has been selected to host the 20th edition of the World Championships in 2025. The international federation stated in a press release: "In 2025, Tokyo will have the opportunity to fill its Olympic Stadium with athletics fans who were deprived of the chance to attend the Tokyo Olympics due to pandemic restrictions." Tokyo beat out cities such as Singapore, Nairobi, and Silesia (Poland) in the selection process. This will be Tokyo's second time hosting the World Championships, the first being in 1991, where American Mike Powell set the world record in the long jump (8.95 m), a record that still stands today, surpassing the previous record of 8.90 m set by his compatriot Bob Beamon in 1968. The Council of the international federation met on Wednesday and Thursday on the sidelines of the 18th edition of the World Championships, which starts on Friday in Eugene, Oregon, after being postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be the first time the World Athletics Championships are held in the United States. The 19th edition will take place next year in Budapest.