Budapest to host 2023 World Athletics Championships

Budapest will host the 2023 World Athletics Championships, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced on Tuesday. The Hungarian capital was the only candidate in the running as part of a new selection model launched by the IAAF, which abolished the traditional bidding campaign in favor of a consultation process. Back in July, the governing body’s president Sebastian Coe mentioned that Budapest was the organization’s preferred choice ahead of Barcelona and Nairobi.

A new stadium

A crucial part of Budapest’s bid, was the promise of the construction of a 40,000-seater stadium. "It has been the scene of some of our greatest moments as a sport. We are excited about their plans for a new stadium that will become a great legacy for athletics," Coe said.

The Hungarian capital has twice hosted the IAAF World Indoor Championships, in 1989 and 2004, and the European Athletics Championships, in 1966 and 1998.

Marton Gyulai, CEO of the Budapest bid, said: “In the past 30 years Hungary has organised every single world and European Championships, indoor and out – on the road, cross country – available to us except for the World Athletics Championships, and we are incredibly proud that this collection will be complete in just under five years’ time.”

The 2019 World Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar, and the 2021 edition in Eugene, United States.