The 20th World Athletics Championships will be held in Tokyo from 13-21 September 2025, almost a month later in the calendar than the previous edition in Budapest to avoid the summer heat. The event is being organised by World Athletics (WA) and the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF). 

WA had originally planned to hold the event in late August, but the Japanese federation proposed September to reduce the burden of the extreme heat on athletes and tournament management. This will be the second closest event to the end of the year to date, after Doha, Qatar, from 27 September to 6 October 2019. 

Preparation and coordination are key factors for this event, which is why Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe, and CEO Jon Ridgeon came together on Monday. The event will take place at the Japan National Stadium, which was built for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We are all looking forward to being here in Tokyo in a year's time to celebrate a World Championships in a stadium - on this occasion - with the spectators," said former British athlete Sebastian Coe, President of WA, at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday to promote the event. 

The double Olympic champion in the 1980as also made no secret of his concern for cost control, something that has been heavily criticised during the organisation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where the Japanese government and organisers have been accused of spending twice the original budget, estimated at $13 billion. 

Both Coe and Koike made statements without taking questions, something that should not happen but is unfortunately repeating itself. The press conference was turned into more of a one-sided statement by the officials to avoid potentially uncomfortable questions. 

The Governor was joined by Mitsugi Ogata, president of the JAAF and the local organising committee. During the meeting held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Koike thanked Coe and praised his efforts to achieve new environmental standards and promote women.

Mitsugi Ogata, president of the local organising committee, stated that the championships would allow the city to showcase the "Tokyo brand", something it couldn't do during the Tokyo Games because of the lockdown, tight security measures and venue changes. 

For his part, Coe expressed his solidarity with the victims of the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula and suggested that the world of athletics could do something to help the victims, although he did not give specific details. 

Coe expressed the hope that the athletes would receive enthusiastic support at the World Championships in Tokyo, which coincide with the centenary of the JAAF.