The IAAF early this morning awarded the '21 World Outdoor Track & Field Championships to Eugene, Ore., marking the "first time the event will be held" in the U.S., according to Christopher Bodeen of the AP. The decision, which "bypassed the usual bidding process, was driven by the popularity of track and field" in Eugene. The "financial support offered" by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and the USOC, "as well as NBC’s commitment to produce and broadcast the event, led to the decision." Eugene’s bid last November to host the '19 World Championships lost out to Doha, Qatar. However, Eugene "renewed its lobbying" over recent months with a "fresh proposal to the IAAF" for the '21 edition. This will mark the third IAAF championship event to be held in Oregon in the span of seven years. The IAAF World Junior Championships "made its U.S. debut in Eugene last summer and the IAAF World Indoor Championships will be held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland" next March. The Univ. of Oregon "has hosted five U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials," with a sixth coming next July, as well as the annual Prefontaine Classic, multiple USA Outdoor Championships and the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships through '21 (AP, 4/16). In Portland, Ken Goe reports the decision was a "surprise," as bid organizers "weren't sure they even could get on the agenda" for this week's IAAF Council meeting in Beijing. The event will be held "at a renovated Hayward Field" at the Univ. of Oregon, and the decision gives local organizers six years "to address infrastructure problems that were said to be a determining factor" in Doha getting the '19 championships. Eugene is "small compared to other cities" that have landed the event, such as Moscow ('13), Beijing ('15) and London ('17). However, the IAAF "was interested in coming to the United States" (OREGONLIVE.com, 4/16).
GOING TO A MUCH SMALLER STADIUM: RUNNER'S WORLD's David Monti writes Hayward Field's pedigree as a venue for track meets "with enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans is not in question," but the decision is "likely to be controversial." Hayward Field's seating capacity "is much smaller than the usual mega-stadiums used for world championships." The facility "will be expanded further to host the world championships, but will still be much smaller than a facility like National Stadium in Beijing" (RUNNERSWORLD.com, 4/16).
PROCESS CALLED INTO QUESTION: European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen in a statement this morning said he was "surprised by the complete lack of process" in awarding the event to Eugene. He said, "The IAAF knew that Gothenburg was a serious candidate for the 2021 World Championships. ... This type of decision would just not happen within European Athletics as we have a comprehensive bidding process that all candidates must follow" (REUTERS, 4/16). The AP notes while cities "usually compete for hosting rights, the IAAF also awarded" the '07 event to Osaka, Japan, without opening it to bidding." With Doha hosting the '19 event, Hansen said that it "will be the first time the championships will be held outside Europe for two consecutive editions." He added, "This is, of course, not good for the development of our sport on the continent" (AP, 4/16).
