… Kipchoge, Ibarguen honoured
Budapest has officially been confirmed as the host city of the 2023 International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships.
The Hungarian capital was the only candidate under a new model launched by the IAAF which abolished the traditional bid campaign and instead introduced a consultation process.
IAAF President Sebastian Coe had announced in July that Budapest was their preferred choice and that was rubber-stamped by the ruling Council.
The main venue of the event will be a new 40,000-seat National Athletics Centre on the banks of the Danube that is currently in the planning phase.
Following the Championships, temporary seating will be removed and only 15,000 seats will remain to fill the void of athletics stadiums in the country.
The venue will serve as a huge boost to both competitive and leisure sports as well as youth development, Budapest officials claim.
In the past, the Hungarian capital has held the European Championships in 1966 and 1998, as well as the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 1989 and 2004.
“We are delighted to award the 2023 World Athletics Championships to Budapest in Hungary, a country of extraordinary athletic tradition and great experience in organising world-class sports events,” Coe said.
“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.”
Meanwhile, two 34-year-olds were honoured recently as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athlete of the Year awards went to Kenya’s marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Colombia’s multiple world and Olympic triple jump champion Caterine Ibarguen.
On September 16, Kipchoge became the first man to run the marathon in less than 2 hours 02min as he won in Berlin in 2 hours 01min 39sec – way inside the mark of 2:02:57 set at the 2014 Berlin race by fellow Kenyan Dennis
Kimetto.
It was the greatest leap forward for the event since 1967, and this was the first time this award has gone to a marathon runner.
Also a year after losing her world title in London, Ibarguen was unbeaten all season in both triple jump and long jump, which she took up again in order to take part in the Central American and Caribbean Games, and she finished the season winning the IAAF Diamond League titles in both disciplines, which she had to contest in Zurich and Brussels on consecutive days.
She finished her season by winning both events at the IAAF Continental Cup in Ostrava.
