World Athletics Indoor Championships postponed from March 2021

It is with regret that we have agreed with the organisers of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing (19-21 March 2021) to postpone the event to March 2023.

While we have been liaising with the organising committee and the Chinese Athletics Association to evaluate the staging over the past few weeks, given the current global situation, there is still significant uncertainty about the state of the Covid-19 pandemic in the early part of 2021.

For the safety of our athletes and technical officials, we must duly consider the risks in bringing a large group of people to attend the event under the pandemic situation and fully respect and carry out the pandemic prevention policy of the host country.

The indoor season for athletics falls within a narrow calendar window (up to the end of March) so it is not possible to extend the event to later in the year.

We would like Nanjing to be the host of our World Athletics Indoor Championships given the extensive planning and preparation they have put into this event so have agreed they will stage the event one year after the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade in 2022.

Despite this postponement, our athletes will still have substantial competitive opportunities available in the early part of 2021 through the World Indoor Tour which comprises 26 meetings spread across 12 countries in Europe and North America. The World Indoor Tour runs from the end of January to the end of February 2021 and is organised across three different tiers of competition – Gold, Silver and Bronze. For further information on the World Indoor Tour please visit our website.

Statement on the World Athletics website can be found HERE.