Record Participation Expected at IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015

Press Release

Record numbers of athletes are expected to compete at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015.

Preliminary entries of 2567 athletes (1423 men and 1144 women) have been received from 203 IAAF member federations for the 15th edition of the championships, which will be held between 22-30 August.

Even taking into account the usual reduction in numbers between preliminary entries and final participants, the IAAF is optimistic that Beijing’s Birds Nest Stadium will witness the biggest ever gathering of athletes for the sport’s premier event on its calendar.

The record for participation at a previous World Championships is 1895 athletes, achieved at the 2009 edition in Berlin, while the 2013 edition in Moscow saw a record 203 member federations compete.

There were 1335 athletes from 153 member federations at the first World Championships in 1983, which demonstrates how the sport has progressed at the highest level in the past 30 years.