BID GUIDEWORLD ATHLETICSCHAMPIONSHIPS 2027
January 2023

www.worldathletics.org

www.worldathletics.org
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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

Bid Guide World Athletics Championships

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www.worldathletics.org

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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

Bid Guide World Athletics Championships

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WE

ARE

WORLD

ATHLETICS
With over 3.5 million athletes, 214 Member Federations, andas the #1 Olympic sport - we are the international governing
body for the sport of athletics, representing all things running,jumping, throwing and walking.

And, just like society, we are changing fast.
Our vision is to use the power and accessibility of athletics
and our athletes to create a healthier and fitter world. We exist
to grow the sport of athletics and make it relevant in people’s
lives and communities.

www.worldathletics.org

5Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

The World Athletics Series
When it comes to competitions, we have our crown jewels: theWorld Athletics Series events.
The World Athletics Series events include seven of thehighest-profile international championships in athletics. Each
WAS event is carefully designed to bring unique experiences
to life – with the world’s best athletes, in iconic places, toinspire people on and off the track, field and road.
At World Athletics we are committed to creating globallyappealing, accessible events that deliver tangible, long-lasting
benefits to host cities – where needed most.
Boosting the local economy, promoting active lifestyles,
driving sports tourism, inspiring the youth, putting existing
infrastructure to good use, celebrating local culture, fostering
sport entrepreneurship, putting cities on the map, creatinga legacy of sport volunteering, bringing society together –World Athletics will work with hosts to achieve identified goals.

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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver“The Greatest Show on Earth”
The World Athletics Championships is one of the most prestigious major international sporting
events in the world. As the pinnacle stand-alone athletics event, it brings together the world’s
best track and field athletes to compete for their nations on the international stage.
At the most recent World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA 2022 - 81 countries madefinals, 45 countries won medals and 29 countries won gold.
The reach, visibility and influence of athletics is truly global, and World Athletics President,
Sebastian Coe has recently described this event as “the greatest show on earth”.

Introducing the World Athletics Championships
The World Athletics Championships comprises of nine days of inspiring competition with around
1,800 of the world’s best athletes from over 180 nations.
The programme comprises of 49 athletics events based both in the stadium and on the road,with 24 events for Men, 24 events for Women and one mixed relay event.
We are also happy to work with hosts on expanding the programme beyond the championships
to include additional events and opportunities that hosts feel would contribute to both theprofile of the event and your community.
Bids are now open for the World Athletics Championships 2027.
Read on to learn more.

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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

Benefits to the Host CityTo review the World Athletics Championships in more detail it is worth considering the potential
benefits to the host city across economic, social and environmental pillars, as well as its impact
on image and reputation.

Total Direct Economic Impact
The profile and scale of the World Athletics Championships make it well positioned to delivera sizeable return on investment. Alongside event organisers, official event attendees (including
competitors and team officials, competition officials, media and broadcasting personnel,sponsors, suppliers, technical suppliers and volunteers) spectators and recreational runners allbring inbound spending power to stimulate a host city’s economy.
Below is a breakdown of the economic impact from the World Athletics Championships inOregon 2022:
Accommodation

US$ 45m

Food & Beverage

US$ 10m

Transportation

US$ 4.3m

Retail & Leisure

US$ 7.4m

Net Organiser Spend

US$ 29.6m

Multiplier

1.59*

Total Economic Impact

US$ 153m

Total TV & OTT Value

US$ 59.3m

Online Press

US$ 19.3m

Print Press

US$ 3.5m

Social Media

US$ 7.2m

Total Media Impact

US$ 89.3m

Volunteering

US$ 2.1m

Social Initiatives

US$ 0.1m

Total Event Impact

US$ 244.5m

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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

Tourism Impact
The World Athletics Championships offers an excellent opportunity for destination marketing bydemonstrating a host city’s sporting capital, culture and character.
At the World Athletics Championships in London 2017:• 705,000 competition tickets were sold to a total of 335,371 unique spectators• 56% of all out-of-town spectators (124,416) stayed in commercial accommodations for an
average of 4 days
Due to attending the World Athletics Championships in London 2017:Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver• 69% of out of town visitors agreed they were more likely to return to the host city in the next
two years after attending the event• 81% of out of town visitors agreed that the event had increased their awareness of the hostcity as a tourist and/or business destination• 91% of out of town visitors would recommend the host city as a holiday destination afterattending the event

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Social Impact
Health, Fitness & Well-Being  
As modern society tackles new obesity issues, athletics offer one of the most accessible formsof fitness. The World Athletics Championships can act as an important catalyst to promotehealth, fitness and well-being in the host city and across the host country through the power
and influence of our athletes.

Generating Civic Pride
Based on an impact study from the World Athletics Championships in London 2017:• 97% of local residents felt proud that their city hosted the World Athletics Championships• 91% of local residents agreed that hosting the World Athletics Championships had a positive
impact on the host city’s community• 97% of local residents agreed that hosting the World Athletics Championships showcased
the host city as a positive and vibrant city

Diversity & Inclusion
Athletics is colour-blind and gender-balanced, offering equal opportunities to athletes from allwalks of life and all races and creeds.
We have complete gender equality on the field of play (including equal prize money for men andwomen) and we are working swiftly towards gender equality in our governance structures. WorldAthletics is constitutionally bound to reach gender equality on our Council, Executive Boardand Commissions by 2027 (we are at about 40% now). World Athletics has pursued a policy oftransgender inclusivity whilst maintaining a level playing field for all female athletes.
Spectators at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon 2022, comprised of 55% male and45% female.

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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

Social Initiatives at the World Athletics Championships,
Oregon 2022
At the World Athletics Championships in Oregon 2022, the local organising committee (LOC)
ran a number of social initiatives, including the below:
The ‘Women in the Spotlight’ Day – Women in the sport were honoured as part of a “Women inthe Spotlight” initiative, showcasing key women’s athletics events.
Gender Equality Seminars – The LOC hosted “Out of the Blocks”, a gender equality seminar
designed to spur change within member federations on gender equality, pay equity andincreasing female participation.
Promoting Women led businesses - Women and / or BIPOC owned businesses wereintentionally recruited for catering and food trucks.
Gear Donation – The LOC worked with a non-profit organisation called ‘Endless Mileage’ tocreate a space for athletic gear donation within the Athlete’s Village.

Ⓒ Taylor Sims

Diversity and Inclusion Training – All staff were provided with a series of training on justice,equity, diversity and inclusion.

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Environmental Impact
Athletics for a Better WorldIn recognition of the environmental challenges faced by cities today, specifically air pollution,
climate change and over consumption of resources, and of the growing scrutiny under which theevent industry is placed, World Athletics will work with hosts to implement sustainable initiatives
and actions. World Athletics has developed the Athletics for a Better World sustainable event
standard as part of World Athletics 2030 Sustainability Strategy. This standard is a prerequisite for all sanctioned World Athletics events to ensure these world class events alsodeliver world class sustainability.

Air Quality ProjectAs part of World Athletics’ continuing pilot programme to measure air quality at sporting
venues around the world, and with the support of the LOC, World Athletics’ Health and Science
Department will measure clinical and environmental data at the World Athletics Championships.
By publishing air quality from events, World Athletics hopes to encourage athletes, recreationalrunners, cities, local and national governments and member federations to become more
conscious of air quality and the impact that it has on health and performance.

Environmental Initiatives at the World Athletics Championships,
Oregon 2022
At the World Athletics Championships in Oregon 2022, the LOC ran a number of environmental
initiatives, including the below:
Green Energy – 140,000 kWh of renewable power was used to power operations at the venue.
This reduced carbon emissions by 3,263.11 tonnes.
Carbon Offset - 100% of the carbon emissions from the event were offset.
Paper – There was an entirely paperless ticketing system and event programme.
Waste Diversion - 29,100 lbs of waste was diverted from landfill, at a rate of nearly 81%.
‘Bring Your Own Water Bottle’ Campaign – 35 temporary water stations were installed and
8,000 reusable water bottles were distributed. This meant that no single-use plastic waterbottles were sold or distributed, eliminating approximately 325,000 from the event.
Food and catering – 11 local food vendors were contracted and throughout the event,they donated over 5,200 lbs of edible food to the local charity ‘Food for Lane County’ andcomposted 3,660 lbs of food waste.

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Image & Event Reputation
Event Coverage
The World Athletics Championships is one of the most popular global sporting events in theworld and with more than 3,000 media accreditations, it makes headlines worldwide.
The event is broadcast in every country in the world on TV and digital, and all the major
broadcasters (including BBC; NBC, TBS, CCTV, Globo and many other) are fully committed toto showing the World Athletics Championships. One billion viewers watched some form of theWorld Athletics Championships in London 2017.

Social Media Figures & Reach
Based on an Impact Study from World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022:• 5,570 Posts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube)• 37.2m Engagements (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube)
The appeal of athletics to younger fans means that digital channels are becoming increasingly
important distribution platforms for World Athletics events. A focus on live streaming, theintroduction of new fan engagement initiatives and an enhanced range of exclusive behind-thescenes multimedia content are all part of World Athletics’ commitment to connecting the event,the hosts and our athletes with new audiences online, ensuring every future edition will connect
with more people in a powerful and meaningful way.

Event Impact
We also understand the importance to host cities of creating an aura and anticipation before theevent and a legacy for when the show is over, and we will work with hosts to deliver the mostrelevant impact for your community.
Youth Programmes / Schools – Athletics legends can visit schools to share the positive effectof athletics and exercise generally. Athletics workshops and youth championships can help
establish long term development pathways for the next generation of athletes.
At the World Athletics Championships in Oregon 2022, a Youth Engagement Programme waslaunched across 800 schools in Oregon called ‘Making Tracks” to inspire young people to fulfil
their potential and maintain healthy, active lifestyles while celebrating diversity of the World
coming to Oregon.
Volunteers – Local residents and sports enthusiasts can play a part in the event experience throughvolunteering which can help to upskill workers, as well as boost future hosting opportunities.
At the World Athletics Championships, a total of 1,585 volunteers participated in Oregon 2022
and 2,913 volunteers participated in London 2017.
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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

Additional Opportunities
World Athletics encourages hosts to bolster the impact of the World Athletics Championships
beyond the competition itself with a range of side events, including:

Health & Fitness Expo
An official health and fitness event exhibition can be organised under terms and conditions
agreed with World Athletics and Dentsu.

Mass Participation Races
The host may deliver mass participation races in conjunction with the World Athletics
Championships which can generate additional revenue and / or act as a promotional tool for theevent and other local road races.

parkrunWorld Athletics has partnered with parkrun to help expand its global series of free, weekly,
timed walking and running events. parkrun will engage and discuss with the LOC aroundlaunching new events or boosting existing parkrun events in the host city.

Athletics Clinics
Many activities can be organised that will appeal to the natural audience of our events, including
youth athletics clinics, injury-prevention seminars, courses for coaches and course measurement
sessions.

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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

Athletics Outreach
Entry level outreach training programmes can be rolled out locally and nationally throughathletics clubs and communities to encourage healthy habits. World Athletics can contribute
through its network and expertise by designing programmes and facilitating access to past andpresent professional athletes.

School Engagement
School-based training and competitions can provide a healthy and engaging activity for school
children to connect with the event, which may also help promote it. Also, national youth andschool races can be held alongside the main event.

E-learning Initiatives
Host staff and volunteers will have the opportunity to access the World Athletics’ e-learning
platform which offers sport and event-related education tools (with modules including
marketing, event presentation, communication, project management and fan engagement) that
aim to upskill locals event experience in the host city.

Other Activations
As well as the above, former hosts have increased engagement with the World Athletics
Championships from the following activation opportunities:••••‘Year-to-go’ countdown events
Athlete engagement events
Conferences and summits
Concerts and local festivals

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Ⓒ Taylor Sims

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Revenue Potential

There are a number of revenue streams available to finance the World Athletics Championships:(a) The World Athletics Championships• National sponsorship*• Admission tickets• Merchandising*• Concession revenues* (food and beverageetc.)• Commercial hospitality sales*• Local hotel commissions(b) Additional Events• Exhibition sales• Conference sales• Mass participation registration fees
• Fees from clinics and training sessions• Travel packagesⒸ Mercedes Oliver*Subject to the Category Release Agreement being concluded with Dentsu1

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Event Budget
Budget
The indicative Event Budget for the World Athletics Championships is between USD$75,000,000 - $80,000,000, but it will vary according to local costs and conditions.
World Athletics can schedule virtual meetings with the bidding committees to go through theproposed event budget.

17. Contingency 5%

1. Event Planning 10%

16. Other 4%15. Guarantees 0%
14. Insurance 1%

13. Marketing/Advertising and Promotions 11%

12. Creative & Identity 2%
2. Logistics 26%
11. Commercial/Partnerships 5%

10. Technology 3%
9. Press 0%

8. Host Broadcaster 14%

1%0%

4%

5%

9. Press

10. Technology

11. Commercial/Partnerships

12. Creative & Identity

13. Marketing/Advertising and Promotions

14. Insurance

15. Guarantees

16. Other

17. Contingency

1%

7. Hospitality

11%

1%

6. Ticketing Operations

2%1%

5. Medical & Anti-Doping

5%2%

4. Additional Events

3%

14%

3. Event management and Presentation

0%

26%

2. Logistics

14%

10%

1. Event Planning

4. Additional Events 2%

8. Host Broadcaster3. Event management and Presentation 14%

7. Hospitality 1%
6. Ticketing Operations 1%
5. Medical & Anti-Doping 1%

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Ⓒ Mercedes Oliver

Bidding Requirements
Based on the World Athletics’ Global Calendar, the preferred dates for the World Athletics Road
Running Championships are in the third and fourth weeks of August, but we may be open toother similar dates.
The host city needs to be accessible to both teams and equipment travelling from all parts ofthe world, so reasonable proximity to an international airport is essential.
There are no hosting fees, but there are mandatory costs payable by hosts to World Athletics
for the delivery of various services provided such as the accreditation system, access control,
event presentation, website, results management services and Host Broadcaster fees.

Sports Requirements
The main stadium for the World Athletics Championships should have a minimum capacity of
30,000 spectators and hold a Class 1 Athletics Facility Certificate. Hosts must provide a warmup track and facilities (including a separate area for long throws) ideally within easy walking
distance of the stadium and the warm-up track must be 400m with at least six lanes and thesurface product should be the same as the main stadium.
The road race courses should comply with the requirements of Rules 54 (Race Walking) and Rule 55(Road Races) of the Technical Rules. They should be measured by a World Athletic/AIMS approved
Grade “A” International Road Course Measurer to validate the courses used are as measured.
Adequate training areas and facilities are to be provided at a reasonable distance from the Teamhotels to ensure training possibilities for all events at appropriate times.
Hosts will also be responsible for providing a number of technical and functional areas androoms at the competition venues. Further information will be provided at a later stage in theEvent Guide.

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Ⓒ Taylor Sims

Official Hotels and Meeting Rooms
Hosts will be required to provide a shortlist of official hotels available for the following clientgroups in the Bid Application Form:
••••
•
•

World Athletics Family and Partners
Athletes and Team Officials
Media
Host Broadcaster
Broadcasters
Technical Suppliers and Service Providers

Further information on numbers and duration will be provided at a later stage in the Event
Organisation Agreement.

Additional Requirements
World Athletics Congress – The World Athletics Congress meets every two years at the World
Athletics Championships. Congress is the highest authority of World Athletics and the sportof athletics worldwide. Consisting of the 214 Member Federations represented by up to threedelegates each, it debates and votes on high-profile topics concerning the sport. The Congress
will position the host city at the very epicentre of the sport and attract additional media
attention in the days leading up to the competition. The LOC is responsible for identifying asuitable location and to assist with local logistics for the Congress.

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Bidding Process
If you are interested in hosting the World Athletics Championships 2027, please download a
Pre-Qualification Form (available on our website) and submit this by close of business on thedeadline set out below.
Bid Process Stage

Timeline

Official Launch & Bid Guide shared

January 2023

Pre-Qualification Form Submission Deadline

1 May 2023

Bid Application Documents Initial Submission
Deadline

15 September 2023

Site Visits and Bid Application Dialogue

Between Initial and Final Bid submission
Deadlines

Bid Application Documents Final Submission
Deadline

15 December 2023

Event awarded by Council

March 2024

If you would like to discuss the World Athletics Championships in more depth including the PreQualification Form – please contact us on bidding@worldathletics.org where you can also send
your completed Pre-Qualification Form.

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Ⓒ Taylor Sims

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