The World Athletics (WA) Council has decided to push back the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing 2023 from March 17-19, 2023 to March 2025 (exact dates to be confirmed).
According to the WA report, the decision was made with the approval of both the Nanjing organizing committee and the Chinese Athletics Association (CAA) due to the persisting pandemic conditions.
Nanjing was originally chosen to host the 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships, but they were postponed to March 2021, then to March 2023 as the pandemic spread.
The World Athletics Indoor Championships will now be held in Glasgow on March 1-3, 2024. The bid procedure for the 2026 edition of the championships has already begun, which is why 2025 has been declared as the year for the Nanjing championships.
“We are disappointed that we have had to postpone this event again owing to circumstances beyond our control,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said. “However, we have done so to provide clarity to athletes and member federations preparing for the 2023 competition season.”
Furthermore, the WA indicated that the period will preclude the 2023 event from being relocated, and the indoor championships will return in Glasgow in 2024.
“We have offered Nanjing the 2025 edition because we are aware of the extensive preparations made by the LOC to organize the event, and we wish to avoid potential financial loss for all parties.
I’d like to thank CAA and the LOC for their assistance in addressing this matter,” Coe continued.
Despite the postponement, athletes will still have significant competitive opportunities in early 2023 through the World Athletics Indoor Tour, which will offer a full calendar of events from late January to March and is organized across four different tiers of competition – Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Challenger.
