Eugene awarded 2021 World Athletics Championships

Eugene (United States), April 17 : The International Association of Athletics Federations council awarded the city of Eugene the rights to host the 2021 World Championships without a bidding process.

It would be the first time for the United States, one of the most historically successful countries in athletics, to host the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) premier competition, reports Xinhua.

Lamine Diack, IAAF president, who retired on August before the Beijing World Championships, admitted at a news conference on Thursday that it was some kind of "parting gift" for the United States and added that it was also "a gift" for himself.

"In granting the championships to Eugene the IAAF Council have made a clear choice on a strategic decision that enables us to take advantage of a unique opportunity that may never arise again, whereby public authorities, the private sector, the national Olympic Committee, NBC and a particularly enthusiastic public are joining forces," commented Diack.

According to IAAF, the city from the State of Oregon had failed in the bidding of the 2019 edition to Doha, Qatar, last November.

The city made a big effort to convince the IAAF in recent months by combining the commitment of the funding by the governor of Oregon with the support of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Eugene also put forward the commitment of television broadcaster National Broadcasting Company (NBC) to produce and broadcast in cooperation with Universal Sports the championships live across the country.

"Although this decision departs from the usual procedure, I am delighted that my council colleagues understood the enormous opportunity presented to us to access a key market and have taken a decision in the interest of the global development of our sport," Diack added.

Beijing will host the 2015 edition in August before the World Championships goes to London in 2017.