BID GUIDEWORLD ATHLETICSINDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
2028 & 2030 EDITIONS
August 2024

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Ⓒ Getty Images / Alex Pantling

Bid Guide World Athletics Championships

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www.worldathletics.org

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Ⓒ Dan Vernon

Bid Guide World Athletics Championships

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WE

ARE

WORLD

ATHLETICS
With more than 3.5 million athletes, 214 Member Federations,and as the No.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 in the lives of their communities.

www.worldathletics.org

5Ⓒ Dan Vernon

The World Athletics Series
When it comes to competitions, we have our crown jewels: theWorld Athletics Series events. WAS for short.
The WAS events include seven of the highest-profile global
championships in the sport. Each WAS event is carefully
designed to bring unique experiences to life. The goal issimple: the world’s best athletes, in the world’s greatest
places, to inspire people on and off the track, field and road.
At World Athletics we are committed to creating globally
appealing events that deliver tangible benefits to host cities.
Boosting the local economy, promoting active lifestyles,
driving sport tourism, inspiring the youth, putting existing
infrastructure to good use, celebrating local culture, fostering
sport entrepreneurship, getting cities on the map, creatinga legacy of sport volunteering, bringing society together:
we can help you achieve your identified goals.

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Ⓒ Michael Steele

Welcome to the most immersive
experience in athletics
The World Athletics Indoor Championships is a high-octane shorter format of athletics.
This event has been re-imagined over time to suit the era we live in today, where uniqueexperiences are prized over things.
All the action takes place on an intimate 200m track with banked turns and crash pads forthe 60m sprints. It is daring and explosive, creating the most immersive and intense
experience in athletics.

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Introducing the World Athletics Indoor ChampionshipsThe World Athletics Indoor Championships invites the top stars of
athletics to compete in a total of 26 official World Championshipevents over three days of non-stop medal action.
This event is no longer limited to an indoor arena, and it can also take place on an outdoor short
track facility. Temporary track installations enable hosting opportunities in any city with a venueof sufficient capacity for a minimum 5,000 seats.
Spectators will be truly immersed in the action as they can get close enough to almost touch it.
Track and field events will simultaneously take centre stage - all synchronised to music andspecial effects. This is sports entertainment at its very best, but it can also be a powerful
catalyst for social change contributing to public health and sport for all.
Bids are now open for the next two editions of the World Athletics Indoor Championships
which will take place in 2028 and 2030 respectively. Read on to learn more.

Bid Guide World Athletics Championships

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9Ⓒ Getty Images / Ian MacNicolBenefits to the Host City

To review the World Athletics Indoor Championships in more detail it is worth considering thepotential benefits to the host city across economic, media, social and environmental impact.

Total Impact
The profile of the World Athletics Indoor Championships make it well positioned to deliver arewarding return on investment for host cities.
See below a snapshot of the total impact from the World Athletics Indoor Championships inGlasgow, UK 2024:
Economic Impact$14.5mMedia Impact$36.2mSocial Impact$0.3m

Environmental Cost

- $0.5m

Total Impact$50.5mBid Guide World Athletics Championships

10Tourism Impact
The World Athletics Indoor Championships offers an excellent opportunity to engage thelocal community and showcase a host city’s culture - whether it’s art, music, technology or all ofthe above.
Based on the tourism impact from the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, UK 2024:

Spectators••••

OriginNumber

Percentage

UK

19,57089%

International

2,419

11%

Total of 21,989 tickets sold across 3 days of competition
50% of spectators were Female and 50% were Male
66% of spectators stayed 3 nights or more
63% stayed in a hotel or other commercial premises

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Ⓒ Dan Vernon

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www.worldathletics.org

13Social Impact
Health & Well-Being
All World Athletics Series events have a track record of promoting health and fitness tocommunities and this event aims to increase awareness of the exercise benefits and options
available in the host city. 800 staff and volunteers at the World Athletics Indoor Chapionships inGlasgow, UK 2024 received mental health training.

Generating Civic Pride
Based on the Impact Study from the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham 2018:• 90% of local residents agreed that hosting the World Championships had a positive impact
on the host city’s community• 98% of local residents felt proud that their city hosted the World Championships• 92% of local residents agreed that hosting the World Championships showcased the hostcity as a positive and vibrant city

Diversity & Inclusion
Athletics is colour-blind and gender-balanced, offering equal opportunities to athletes fromall walks of life and all races and creeds. We have complete gender equality on the field of play(including equal prize money for men and women) and we are working swiftly towards genderequality in our governance structures and proud to now have a new gender equal Council.
World Athletics has pursued a policy of transgender inclusivity whilst maintaining a levelplaying field for all female athletes.

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Environmental Impact
Environmental Quality of the Event
In 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
the event industry is placed, World Athletics will work with hosts to implement a sustainability
management system. This will help demonstrate to all stakeholders a real, walk-the-talkcommitment to minimising the event’s environmental impact. World Athletics is also committed
to working with cities to promote environmental initiatives within the wider community.

Air Quality ProjectAs part of World Athletics’ continuing programme to measure air quality in host cities and at
sporting venues around the world, World Athletics’ Health and Science Department with thesupport of local organising committees measure clinical and environmental data at the WAS
events.
By publishing air quality results from our WAS events, World Athletics hopes to encourage
cities, national and local governments and member federations to become more conscious of airquality and the impact that it has on health and performance.

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Image & Event Reputation
Event Coverage
Athletics World Championships are always among the most eagerly anticipated events in theannual sporting calendar. With more than 1,000 journalists and broadcasters covering the action
at the World Athletics Indoor Championships, it makes headlines worldwide.
Based on the Impact Study from the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, UK
2024:• 127m Total broadcast viewer hours• 4,879 posts on social media• 846,000 engagement on social media
A focus on live streaming, the introduction of new fan engagement initiatives and an enhanced
range of exclusive behind-the-scenes 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.

A Potential for Legacy
We also understand the importance of creating a legacy for the host city after the show is over,
and we will work with you to deliver exactly what you need.
Schools - Athletics legends can visit schools to share the positive effects of exercise generally.
At the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, UK a Kid’s Athletics Day brought
together 190 children from six schools to try adapted athletics events.
Volunteers - Local residents and sports enthusiasts can play a part in the event experiencethrough volunteering which can improve competencies and boost future athletics hosting
opportunities. At the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, UK 504 volunteers
contributed around 10,584 hours and the Changemakers Programme allowed young people
from underserved communities to be involved.
Medal Design - At the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, UK a designcompetition was held with the winning design commissioned for the Championships medals.

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Ⓒ Dan Vernon
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Additional Opportunities

World Athletics encourages hosts to expand the impact of the World Athletics Indoor
Championships beyond the competition period and the stadium walls. This event can also
provide opportunities for a range of side events including:

Health & Fitness Outreach
Entry level training programmes can be rolled out locally and nationally through local athletics
clubs and communities to encourage healthy habits. World Athletics will contribute through its
network and expertise by designing fitness programmes and facilitating access to athletes.

School Engagement
School-based training and competitions will provide a healthy and engaging activity forschool children to connect with and promote the event. National youth and school races canbe held in connection with the event.

Clinics and Training Sessions
Many athletics-related activities can be organised that will appeal to the natural audience forour events, including youth clinics, courses for coaches or training sessions with top athletes.

Bid Guide World Athletics Championships18Event-associated eLearning Initiatives
Host staff and volunteers will have the opportunity to access the World Athletics’ eLearning
platform which offers sport and event-related educational tools (with modules including
marketing, event presentation, communication, project management and fan engagement) that
aim to upskill locals in the host city.

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

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19Revenue Potential

Further to public funding, there are a number of additional revenue streams available to the localorganising committee:(a) The World Indoor Championships••••••

Admission tickets
National sponsorship*
Merchandising*Concession revenues* (food and beverage etc.)
Commercial hospitality sales*
Local hotel commissions(b) Additional Events• Fees from clinics and training sessions• Local hotel commissions*Subject to the Category Release Agreement being concluded with Dentsu1

World Athletics has appointed Dentsu as its exclusive global marketing partner and granted Dentsu certain commercial rights
relating to the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Ⓒ Dan Vernon

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Event Budget

The indicative Event Budget for the World Athletics Indoor Championships is between USD$7,000,000 – $8,000,000, but it will vary according to local costs and conditions.
World Athletics will schedule virtual meetings with the bidding committees to go through theproposed Event Budget.
11. Other 6%

1. Event Planning 11%

10. Technology 1%
9. Media 5%

8. HostBroadcaster 20%

2. Logistics 22%

7. Promotional Strategy 14%

3. Event management& Presentation 16%

6. Ticketing, Operations & Hospitality 2%
5. Medical & Anti-Doping 2%

4. Additional Events 1%

11%

22%

16%

1%

2%

2%

14%

20%

5%

1%

6%

1. Event Planning

2. Logistics

3. Event management & Presentation

4. Additional Events

5. Medical & Anti-Doping

6. Ticketing, Operations & Hospitality

7. Promotional Strategy

8. Host Broadcaster9. Media

10. Technology

11. Other

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Bidding Requirements

Based on the World Athletics Global Calendar, the preferred date for the World Athletics Indoor
Championships is the third week of March, but we may be open to other dates.
The host city needs to be accessible to teams and equipment travelling from all parts of theworld, so reasonable proximity to an international airport is essential.
There are no hosting fees, but there are some delivery costs payable by hosts to World Athletics
relating to various services provided such as accreditation, access control, website, Video
Officiating Replay System, the Host Broadcaster and results management services.

Sports Requirements
The main venue for the World Athletics Indoor Championships must be a minimum 5,000 seat
arena with a World Athletics Indoor Athletic Facility Certificate - containing a 6-lane oval track
and an 8-lane straight track. As mentioned above, the venue may be permanent or a temporary
athletics arena can be constructed. Hosts must also provide a warm-up track and warm-up
facilities for field events adjacent to the competition venue.
Hosts will be responsible for providing all technical and functional areas at the venue, including
call room(s), a mixed zone, a post event area, a photo-finish control room, a video recording
room, a results management room, a doping control station, a technical information centre, a rest
area for combined events athletes, seats for coaches, teams and media and working areas forbroadcast and media.
Hosts will also be responsible for the installation of at least two state-of-the art video screens,a quality sound system and event venue decoration, as well as ensuring the main stadium isequipped with reliable and modern communications networks, infrastructure and services.

Official Hotels and Meeting Rooms
Hosts will be required to provide a shortlist of official hotels available for the following clientgroups below in the Bid Application Form. Further information on indicative numbers andduration will be provided at a later stage in the Event Organisation Agreement.
•••••

World Athletics Family and Partners
Athletes and Team Officials
Media
Host BroadcasterTechnical Suppliers and Service Providers

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Bidding Process
If you are interested in hosting either the 2028 or 2030 edition of the World Athletics
Indoor Championships, and would like to discuss this in more detail, please email bidding@worldathletics.org
Bidding calendar for the 2028 and 2030 World Athletics Indoor Championships
See below the current bid process timeline:
Bid Process StageTimeline

Official Launch & Bid Guide shared

August 2024

Pre-Qualification Form Submission Deadline

6 December 2024

Bid Application Documents Submission Deadline

2 May 2025

Bid Application Final Submission Deadline

4 July 2025

Event awarded by Council

September 2025

Please note that World Athletics reserves the right to amend this bid process timeline as it
deems necessary, and the live World Athletics Series Bidding Calendar is available on ourwebsite - see www.worldathletics.org/hosting/calendar

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