Bold plan to lure the best in world here

ATHLETICS Australia is ready to bid for the 2025 world track and field championships after being encouraged to chase one of the biggest sporting events on the planet by the international governing body.

AA chief executive Darren Gocher confirmed initial talks had been held with World Athletics, formerly known as IAAF, and approaches had been made to state governments to gauge their interest in hosting the world’s best athletes.

A decision is expected to be made in 2022 but Gocher believes Australia stands a decent chance of securing the rights to host an event that would bring the cream of world athletics to these shores, generating the sort of global interest in the sport that was created when Sydney held the 2000 Olympics. “I think it would be a massive coup for the sport, for athletics and for the economy,” Gocher said.

“You look at London 2017 for the world champs and para world champs and they filled the stadium for 10 nights.

“It is the pinnacle of the sport. We have never had a world track and field championships here. We have the world cross country championships in 2022 but that is the first world championship we have had here since the world juniors in 1996.

“We have never had a senior world champs. I think it would be a massive coup if we can pull it off.”

Gocher confirmed talks had been held with selected government officials and all states were likely to be approached about their interest in hosting the event.