Beijing to host 2015 championships

World athletics governing body the IAAF announced yesterday that Beijing has been selected to host the 2015 World Championships.

The 15th edition of the event will take place at the Chinese capital’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium, the iconic centre-piece of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

“To help build up our sport and the culture of athletics in a country of 1.6 billion inhabitants is a great opportunity,” said IAAF president Lamine Diack in a press release.

“As we sometimes say, China is not a country, it’s a continent. So this is a fantastic opportunity for our sport and for the sport in China.”

Beijing will become the fourth Asian city to host the World Championships after the Japanese cities of Tokyo (1991) and Osaka (2007) and the South Korean city of Daegu, which is scheduled to host next year’s event.