Beijing to host 2027 Athletics Worlds

Photo taken on Aug. 22, 2015 shows the opening ceremony for the World Athletics Championships in Beijing. (Xinhua/Wang Haofei)

LONDON, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Beijing will host the 2027 World Athletics Championships, World Athletics announced on Wednesday.

The decision was made at the 234th World Athletics Council Meeting held in Glasgow, ahead of the World Athletics Indoor Championships which is slated between March 1-3.

The capital of China hosted the 2015 edition of the Athletics Worlds.

"Congratulations to Beijing on their successful bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2027, 12 years after our athletes lit up the National Stadium for the 15th edition of our global showpiece," said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

"With a population of more than 1.4 billion, China is one of the biggest sports markets in the world. It was the top performer for Wanda Diamond League broadcast consumption in 2023 with a cumulative audience of 368.9 million. This poses a massive opportunity to grow our sport and fan base in one of the biggest commercial markets in the world," he added.

The last edition of the World Athletics Championships was held in Budapest in August 2023, while Tokyo will host the 2025 event.

China will also host next year's World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing.