Beijing to host World Athletics Championships in 2027

Beijing’s “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium will once again host a feast of athletics in 2027/Shutterstock

GLASGOW (AFP) — Beijing will host the 2027 World Athletics Championships, track and field’s governing body announced on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Beijing last hosted the event back in 2015 and the Chinese city of Nanjing will host next year’s World Athletics Indoor Championships.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the choice of Beijing was partly commercially driven, stating that the country’s broadcast consumption of the elite Diamond League circuit in 2023 was top, at 368.9 million.

“With a population of more than 1.4 billion, China is one of the biggest sports markets in the world,” Coe said.

“This poses a massive opportunity to grow our sport and fan base in one of the biggest commercial markets in the world.”

The last edition of the World Athletics Championships was held in Budapest in August, while Tokyo will host the 2025 event. — Agence-France-Presse