On February 29, it was announced that Beijing won the right to host the 2027 World Athletics Championships. The decision was made at the 234th World Athletics Council Meeting held in Glasgow, UK, following on-site discussions and voting. This marks the return of this event to Beijing after a 12-year hiatus.

“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. With a population of more than 1.4 billion, China is one of the biggest sports markets in the world. This poses a massive opportunity to grow our sport and fan base,” said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

Wang Nan, World Athletics Council Member and Vice President of the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA), said: “Thank you to World Athletics for the recognition and trust in China and Beijing. The CAA will work together with the Beijing organizing committee to make every effort to prepare for the championships, ensure that the championships will be held to the highest quality standard, and strive to present a wonderful World Athletics Championships to make more contributions to the development of athletics across the world.”

Beijing successfully hosted the 15th World Athletics Championships in 2015. The 2027 edition is expected to span nine days, during which over 2,000 top athletes from more than 200 countries and regions will gather in Beijing.