Tokyo has been selected to host the 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships in 2025.
The East Asia city secured the rights on Thursday after holding off stiff competition from Nairobi, Silesia and Singapore.
The decision was rubber-stamped at the council’s meeting in Eugene, just hours before the 18th edition of the World Championships that began on Friday.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Tokyo clinched the hosting rights on merit.
He thanked all the cities that took the time and effort to prepare bids, saying they displayed a commitment to athletics. He urged them not to tire of seeking future hosting rights.
“Within an extremely strong field of candidates to host the World Athletics Championships 2025, Tokyo offered a compelling bid,” Coe said.
“I hope this will be a shining light for Japan as they celebrate 100 years of the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) in 2025, by bringing world-class athletics back to the people in Tokyo.”
This is the second major event being hosted by Japan after the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics held behind closed doors in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Budapest will host the 2023 World Championships, with this year’s event having been pushed back 12 months to accommodate the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Coe did not rule out the possibility of hosting the World Athletics Championships in an African country in the future.
