The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held between 27 September and 6 October 2019 in Doha, Qatar, at the renovated multi-purpose Khalifa International Stadium, but reduced to 21,000 available seats. 1,772 athletes from 206 teams competed in 49 athletics events over the ten-day competition, comprising 24 events each for men and women, plus a mixed relay. There were 43 track and field events, 4 racewalking events, and 2 marathon road running events. The racewalking and marathon events were held in Doha Corniche.
It was the first edition of the competition under its modified name, having previously been known as the World Championships in Athletics, and the last held before the IAAF assumed its new identity as World Athletics. It was also the first time the competition was in the Middle East and also the first time it ended in October. Due to the hot climate, there were no morning sessions and events were held in the late afternoon onward. Long-distance road events were scheduled to start around midnight local time.Chowdhury, Saj (28 September 2019). World Athletics Championships: GB duo cool with midnight marathons & air-con stadium. BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 September 2019. For the first time, sponsors of national teams were permitted to appear on the kit that the athletes compete in.
Some athletes competing in Doha criticised the lack of spectators, the flat atmosphere, the heat, and the timing of events, and also questioned why Doha was awarded the championships at all; despite this, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe described the 2019 Championships as the best in history, in terms of the quality of performances produced by the athletes.
Three world records were set, and six championships records were broken. A total of 43 nations reached the medal table, and 68 nations had an athlete with a top eight finish. Based on the IAAF scoring tables, the best male and female performers were men's shot put gold medallist Joe Kovacs, and women's long jump gold medalist Malaika Mihambo.
Organisation Host selection Three cities entered the bidding process to host the event. Assessment of the bids was carried out by the IAAF Evaluation Commission, which consisted of three IAAF Council Members (IAAF Vice President Sebastian Coe, Abby Hoffman and Katsuyuki Tanaka), three IAAF Office members (Essar Gabriel, Nick Davies and Paul Hardy), public relations staff from Dentsu (Ryo Wakabayashi) as well as marketing staff from Athletics Management & Services (Nigel Swinscoe).Barcelona, Doha and Eugene – evaluation of candidates for 2019 IAAF World Championships. IAAF (7 October 2014). Retrieved 28 September 2019.
Both Doha and Eugene are hosts of IAAF Diamond League meetings. Doha had previously applied for and failed to win the bid for the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, and had hosted the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a member of Qatar's ruling family, led the Doha bid. The bid was part of a movement among the leaders of Qatar to make the country a destination for international sports tourism, within the framework of the Qatar National Vision 2030, which included the hosting of global sports events, such as the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and a Doha bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics.Fes, Nik (8 November 2018). QATAR ATTEMPTING TO BOOST TOURISM THROUGH SPORT EVENTS. Tourism Review. Retrieved 14 October 2019. Doha Worlds in line with Qatar National Vision 2030: Dahlan. The Peninsula Qatar (18 December 2018). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
Eugene had hosted the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics. Barcelona hosted the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics and the 2010 European Athletics Championships, as well as the annual Míting Internacional d´Atletisme Ciutat de Barcelona. The final selection of the host city was carried out on 18 November 2014 in Monaco.
City Country Round 1 Round 2 Doha Qatar 12 15 Eugene United States 9 12 Barcelona Spain 6 —
Barcelona was eliminated in the first round of voting, receiving only six of the 27 votes, then Doha prevailed in the final round with fifteen votes to Eugene's twelve. The IAAF later awarded Eugene the hosting rights for the next championships, which was later moved to 2022.Doha to host the 2019 IAAF World Championships. IAAF (12 November 2014). Retrieved 28 September 2019. IAAF President said that the Doha bid would develop the country and its community through sport.IAAF Council Meeting, Monaco, 18 November – NOTES. IAAF (18 November 2014). Retrieved 28 September 2019. José María Odriozola, the president of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, said that the worst bid had won the vote and "the only thing they have there is money".Leichtathletik-WM 2019 geht an Katar . Der Standard (18 November 2014). Retrieved 28 September 2019.
In 2016, the French newspaper Le Monde claimed the selection of the host would have been paid with US$3.5 million transferred between October and November 2011 according to the US tax administration, to Papa Massata Diack, the son of Lamine Diack (former president of the IAAF). In 2019 The Guardian reported documents showing an agreement to pay US$4.5 million to Sporting Age, a Singapore-based company linked to Papa Massata Diack, in order to transfer the value of World Championships ticket sales and sponsorship to Qatari officials.Ingle, Sean (27 September 2019). World Athletics Championships: $4.5m Doha cash plan investigated by judges. The Guardian. Retrieved 28 September 2019. In 2019, the French prosecutors charged some protagonists for corruption: the head of beIN Sports Yousef Al-Obaidly, the former president of IAAF Lamine Diack, and the head of Paris Saint Germain Nasser Al-Khelaifi.Ingle, Sean (25 June 2019). IAAF agent 'asked Qatari royal' for $5m in bid for sporting events. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2019. A French judge opened investigations into Dentsu and Athletics Management & Services in 2019, on the basis that the companies (which had been involved in the host evaluation) had played key roles in the diversion of funds to Papa Massata Diack.Brown, Andy (28 August 2019). Spider's web: French prosecutors further widen IAAF probe. Sports Integrity Initiative. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
The selection of Doha as the host city was later criticised by numerous athletes present at the championships. Marathon fifth-placer Volha Mazuronak said organisers were disrespectful to athletes to make them compete in the conditions, and 50 km walk world champion Yohann Diniz was unhappy that the road events had not been located in the air-conditioned stadium instead. Decathlon world record holder Kevin Mayer said organisers had not prioritised athletes in respect of the climate and low spectator attendance.Ingle, Sean (28 September 2019). Doha world championships ‘a disaster’, says decathlon record-holder Mayer. The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2019. In response to low attendances, the stadium capacity was reduced to 21,000 for the championships, with large banners covering the empty seats, yet on the third day less than half these seats were filled despite the organisers giving free tickets to migrant workers and children. In response to the issue, IAAF Chief Executive Jon Ridgeon worked with the local organisers to take attendance-boosting measures. Ridgeon suggested that sessions were organised late in the evening for European television audiences, which meant working Qataris had gone home before the last event finals had begun (around 11 pm local time). Timetable by day IAAF World Athletics Championships, DOHA 2019 . IAAF. Retrieved 1 October 2019. He also said the IAAF's plan had been for the championships to serve people across the Middle East, but the Qatar diplomatic crisis had blocked people from other countries in the region from attending.Dire in Doha: world championships ‘catastrophe’ leaves athletics reeling. The Guardian (1 October 2019). Retrieved 1 October 2019.World Athletics Championships: IAAF 'disappointed' by small crowds, says chief executive. BBC Sport (1 October 2019). Retrieved 1 October 2019. Three days before the competition it was reported that 50,000 tickets had been sold for the 10-day event, signalling a 90% reduction in sales compared to the 2017 World Championships in Athletics.Cronin, Ben (24 September 2019). Qatari organisers deny free ticket giveaway for IAAF World Championships . Sport Business. Retrieved 3 October 2019. In response, local organisers purchased tickets and distributed them for free to ensure sizeable attendances, and also ran an initiative to allow spectators to enter the stadium and fill vacant seats left by audience members who left mid-session.World Athletics Championships 2019: Free tickets handed out in desperate bid to fill empty stadium in Doha. The Independent (6 October 2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019.
The issue of human rights in Qatar was also raised as over 6,000 migrant labourers, some involved in construction and cleaning of the host stadium, had lodged complaints over unpaid wages against Qatari companies.Fautre, Willy (4 October 2019). Empty stadiums and empty promises. The Parliament Magazine. Retrieved 7 October 2019. IAAF President Coe responded that the championships was a way to achieve social change and "rise above political structures".Athletics World Championships: Lord Coe praises athletic performances and defends hosting event in Doha. BBC Sport (6 October 2019). Retrieved 7 October 2019.
Venue The decision to hold the World Athletics Championships in the Middle East presented organisational challenges due to the hot and humid climate in Doha in September and October. In previous years the World Championships had mostly qualifying competitions in morning sessions and finals mostly in afternoon sessions. Weather conditions meant that traditional arrangement was not workable and in Doha the schedule was redesigned to have a "pre-session" in the afternoon and a "main session" in the evening.Henderson, Jason (28 September 2019). Doha struggles to shine . Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 28 September 2019. The Khalifa International Stadium used an open-air conditioning system to bring the temperature of the stadium to below , which was a world first for a stadium.Billington, James (5 October 2018). World's first stadium air conditioning system unveiled for Doha 2019. Stadia Magazine. Retrieved 28 September 2019.Fears over safety of World Championships marathon runners in Qatar heat despite midnight start. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 September 2019.