As you may have seen, the world of athletics has been a bit rocked by controversies at this year’s championships. It’s not just the athletes who are upset, though. Even the governing body seems to have had enough and is ready to take some radical steps in 2026, when it will host a new competition designed around elite athletes.
Known as the World Athletics Championship, it will be held every two years between Olympic and World Championship years, with athletes selected through world rankings. This should streamline action and make for more enticing racing and high-stakes competition. Currently, a maximum of three athletes per country can compete in individual events. The event will also be shortened, to focus on the most exciting disciplines, and include only the top athletes from the world’s leading countries.
It’s a bold move that could transform track and field and bring it back to the public’s attention. But what exactly is the World Championships, and how did it get its start? It began in 1983, the brainchild of Dutch president Adriaan Paulen, who wanted to drag amateur sport into a professional era. It was his last year as president of the International Association of Athletic Federations, the organization that would become World Athletics. Its major aims are to establish friendly cooperation among its member federations, eliminate hindrance to participation in international meets on racial, religious, or political grounds, and compile rules and regulations governing competition.
