China wins World Athletics 2025 Member Federation Award

MONACO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) was honored with the Member Federation Award by World Athletics on Friday for its contribution to the global profile of the sport over the past year.

The award, presented annually, celebrates a national federation that has demonstrated outstanding progress and impact. The CAA emerged victorious from a shortlist of six federations, each nominated by one of World Athletics' six Area Associations, with the final selection made by the World Athletics Executive Board.

World Athletics highlighted the CAA's achievements across five key areas in 2025: institutional innovation, event enhancement, youth development, gender equality and commercial collaboration.

In an official statement, the CAA expressed its "sincere gratitude" for the recognition. "This honor is a full recognition of our work," the association stated, highlighting two major events as benchmarks of its success. "The successful hosting of the Nanjing World Athletics Indoor Championships and the Guangzhou World Athletics Relays demonstrated to the world China's professional event-organizing capabilities and boundless passion for athletics."

Looking forward, the CAA pledged to build on this momentum, vowing its "full assistance and support" for the upcoming major events in China, including the 2027 World Athletics Congress and World Athletics Championships in Beijing, as well as the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Yangzhou.

"We will cherish this honor, make persistent efforts, and work with colleagues around the world to promote the development of global athletics," the association added.

The World Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars awards will be revealed on November 30.