World Athletics Reflects on Successful Year and Eyes Geopolitical Opportunities
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe highlighted a successful year for the institution at the 239th World Athletics Council Meeting in Monaco, emphasizing that 2026 presents a unique opportunity to forge lasting geopolitical and geoeconomic relationships through the world’s most universal sport.
The Council convened for a two-day meeting on December 2-3, during which they addressed updates to eligibility rules, regulations, and competition matters.
“Our recent World Athletics Awards celebrated the very best in our sport and provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on what has been another outstanding year,” said Coe.
Attendance figures across all three World Athletics Series events were strong, a result of a targeted marketing strategy focused on filling stadiums. The World Indoor Championships in Nanjing saw a sell-out crowd of 12,000, while the World Relays in Guangzhou attracted 37,000 fans. In Tokyo, evening sessions were full, and morning sessions also drew impressive crowds, totaling 619,288 – the third-highest attendance for a World Championships after Beijing 2015 and London 2017.
“Our media reach outside of broadcast in 2023 was 38 billion, our social media followers grew by 3 million, from 14 million to 17 million, and we signed up more than 1 million new fans, reaching a total of 2.15 million addressable fans,” Coe reported.
On the field, a record 84 countries achieved a finalist or top-eight placing at the World Championships in Tokyo. This represents meaningful progress from 1991, when only 47 countries reached the same milestone. “no other sport has this reach.I never tire of saying that and I never tire of finding the proof points to show it,” Coe stated.
Next year’s calendar includes six World Athletics Series events,along with the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest and the Run X World treadmill Championship. Area Championships, the Commonwealth Games, and the Youth Olympic Games are also scheduled.Preparations are also underway for the World Athletics Championships in Beijing in 2025.
“Next year we have an unprecedented opportunity to build lasting geopolitical and geoeconomic relationships,with world championship events in Europe,Africa,USA and South America,and the ongoing work we are doing to raise our sport’s profile in China. Don’t underestimate this opportunity,” Coe urged his Council colleagues.
“We are doing more than just holding an athletics event in these countries. The relationships we form,the respect we show,will stand us in better stead in the coming years as geopolitical rivalries reshape global markets. And our Member federations, the lifeblood of our organization, sit at the epicentre of what will be a challenging few years ahead. We all need to understand this and seize the opportunity to build strong alliances and networks.”
Eligibility regulations: female category
The World Athletics Council received an update on implementation plans for regulations concerning eligibility conditions to compete in the female category for world ranking competitions.
The rule regarding eligibility to compete in the female category remains unchanged. Following the introduction of one-time testing for the SRY gene ahead of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, the regulations confirm when test results will be requested.