Monte Carlo, Monaco – The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) voted to award the 2019 IAAF World Championships to the city of Doha, Qatar on Tuesday over competing bids from Eugene, Oregon and Barcelona, Spain.
TrackTown USA, the local organizing committee for the U.S. bid, in conjunction with USA Track & Field (USATF), was attempting to bring the IAAF’s crown jewel to U.S. soil for the first time in the 31-year history of the event.
The highly acclaimed 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships made its American debut at Hayward Field in Eugene last summer, and the IAAF World Indoor Championships will be contested in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center in March of 2016.
Statement from TrackTown USA President Vin Lananna:
“We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Doha and our sincere thanks to the IAAF. It’s important to dream big and have ambitious goals. We made a bold attempt with an audacious vision for this event and we will continue to partner with USA Track & Field in attracting other major events to the U.S. I have no doubt that the U.S. will field another fantastic track and field team in the summer of 2019, and we look forward to welcoming the world to Portland in the spring of 2016.”
Statement from USATF CEO Max Siegel:
“The United States congratulates Doha on securing the 2019 World Championships. We look forward to Team USA competing in Doha against the best athletes in the world. We thank President (Lamine) Diack, the IAAF Council, and the IAAF evaluation commission for considering our bid and the tremendous collaboration the IAAF showed throughout this process.”
Curtis Anderson | TrackTown USA