HERE’S THIS MONTH’S collection of short takes on generally off-track activities that have gone/will go a long way towards shaping the way the sport is headed.
USATF Indoor Returns To Indy
The next two USATF Indoor Championships will be staged in Indianapolis, at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The scheduled dates are February 19–21, 2027, and February 18–20, 2028.
The 200 banked track at the facility has been hosting collegiate meets such as the Big 10 over the past few years to good reviews. It also hosted the ’26 USATF Indoor Combined Events Championships.
This will mark the return to Indy of top-notch undercover track. The last major event, the ’99 NCAA, was more than 25 years ago. Indy’s emergence as a prime indoor site came when the inaugural World Indoor Championships was held in the Hoosier Dome, a facility that was demolished in ’08.
Says USATF CEO Max Siegel, “We are excited to bring the USATF Indoor Championships back to Indianapolis for the next two years and, in doing so, return to a place that holds such an important place in our sport’s history.”
’29 & ’31 WC Hosts Chosen
WA has announced that the ’29 World Championships have been awarded to Nairobi, Kenya, while the ’31 edition will be held in Munich, Germany.
The decision, made at the Council meeting following the Ultimate Champs means that for the first time, the meet will be held on the African continent. Two years later, it will be Germany’s third time as a host, with its third city, after Stuttgart (’93) and Berlin (’09).
“We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the Council,” said Seb Coe, acknowledging strong presentations made by London and Rome.
The choice of Nairobi adds another twist, in that at 1675m of altitude, it will be highest site used for a global championships since Mexico City in ’68 (2300m). Given advancements in shoes, tracks and other technology, it could be that some venerated World Records might be at risk in a high-altitude competition.
Many were shocked when London, which successfully hosted the ’17 Worlds in addition to the ’12 Olympics, did not successfully land a bid while Nairobi, with little big meet organizing experience, did.
Seb Coe called the Kenyan bid “compelling and emotional,” noting that the nation has long been successful on the World stage. Indeed, with 72 gold medals, Kenya is only behind the US in WC history.
The country also has a passionate fanbase. Some 68% of Kenyans say they have a high interest in track, compared to 39% worldwide.
Kasarani Stadium was a weak point in Kenya’s failed bid to host the ’25 Worlds, but since then a major structural upgrade has been put in motion for the 48,000-seat facility. In addition, the government has pledged its full support of the meet with financial and security guarantees.
Last but nor least, the award checks a major box on Coe’s goal sheet: “With this decision we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide.”
Mt. SAC Gets Small Piece Of ’28 OT
Mt. SAC may get to host an Olympic Trials after all, at least in part. The Southern California community college had been originally awarded the rights to host the ’20 Olympic selection meet after it had invested in an $87 million renovation, but in ’18 USATF decided to move that meet to Eugene.
Now USATF has asked Mt. SAC to host the Trials men’s and women’s 10,000s in addition to the decathlon and heptathlon, all tentatively set for May 20–21, 2028. Moving the events away from the main OT in Eugene (June 17-22) gives those athletes another month of recovery time before the Los Angeles Games.
At this point, the contract has not been signed, but the key parties both expected to reach an agreement. “We are still working out the details but are looking forward to sharing more information soon about this important event on the journey to LA 2028,” said USATF spokesman Jay Holder.
USATF’s New Indoor Tour
USATF has announced an Indoor Tour for ’27, modeled on the USA Tour that was successful over this year’s domestic season.
Featured will be 6 independently-operated meets that all have achieved WA bronze, silver or gold labels:
1/22–23: NYC Grand Prix, Staten Island, New York
1/29–30: PNC Lenny Lyles Open, Louisville, Kentucky
1/29-30: DeLoss Dodds Invitational, Manhattan, Kansas
1/31: Asics Sound Invite, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
2/06: New Balance Grand Prix, Brighton, Massachusetts
2/13: Millrose Games, New York City, New York
USATF will be covering all costs related to drug testing, technical delegates, sanctioning and insurance, and will prioritize Tour meets when allocating travel funding for tiered athletes. The organization will also support marketing and media coverage.
“The USA Track & Field Tour is an example of what we can do when we all work together to put our athletes first,” says CEO Max Siegel.
More Largesse From The USATF Foundation
Christmas came early again this year, as the USATF Foundation announced that 100 athletes would receive Stephen A. Schwarzman grants, a payday worth a collective $3.65 million.
For 65 of the athletes, the grants are for $40,000, and the remaining 35 get $30,000 each. Twelve of the awards were earmarked for emerging elite athletes, one of whom is long jumper Alyssa Jones, this year’s NCAA champion for Stanford.
Said Jones, “Being a new college graduate, continuing to pursue track and field is an incredibly daunting path and the support provided by Mr. Schwarzman and all those who make this grant possible is a point of security.”
The Foundation also announced that $750,000 in Elite Athlete Development Grants were awarded, split among 50 athletes ($15,000 each). In addition, 9 Ambassador Grants of $10,000 each were given to longtime Foundation-supported athletes who have consistently given back to the sport and the Foundation community.
WA Finances Looking Good
In September, World Athletics released its annual report for 2025, with the theme throughout being the sport’s continuing growth along with an increase in athlete investment.
Overall, a 15% increase in revenues helped WA distribute $13.4 million in federation grants in addition to putting up the $10 million purse for the Ultimate Champs. There has also been an increase in the number of competitions that belong to the Continental Tour (262 in ’25).
“We are no longer a summer sport spanning just a few months,” said Seb Coe. “But these results don’t come about by chance. There is significant investment behind the scenes, both financially and through focused resources from HQ, Area Associations and our Member Federations.”
Is Your Javelin Smarter Than You?
In these days of smart watches, smart cars and smart refrigerators, did we really think smart javelins were going to be next?
The enhanced implement, designed by TDK, was showcased at the UC. Sensors enable TDK to analyze and visualize the javelin’s movement in real time. The technology can provide additional data on factors such as release angle, rotation, speed, height and flight trajectory.
This information can give athletes greater insight into their technique and performance, while the visualizations can also help spectators better understand the technical and physical demands of javelin throwing.
Several of the world’s best throwers, including Rumesh Pathirage and Haruka Kitaguchi, participated in a demonstration session in Budapest that took place before the meet proper.
Another Way For Coe To Hang Around
With Seb Coe’s 12-year term as WA president coming to a conclusion next year, it’s hard to imagine the sport without him. According to recent reporting by The Guardian, we might not have to.
Per its sources, “There is growing clamour for Coe to stay on at World Athletics in some capacity when his presidency ends in September 2027. One plan being discussed is for Coe to lead a new commercial arm, which aims to sell World Athletics’ own rights for the first time and add substantial external investment and revenues.”
That move may come at the end of ’29, when WA’s $18.6 million annual contract with sports marketing giant Dentsu wraps up. It would be the first time in 30 years that WA can sell its own broadcast rights.
According to a WA statement, “Our executive board has spent the last 18 months looking at the commercial structures we need to create and determining the best way to increase revenue so we can accelerate growth in our sport over the coming years.”
Is Coe, who just turned 70, even interested in pursuing this personally? According to reports, he’s undecided.
Ingebrigtsen Has Harsh Words For Rivals
An extremely close 1500 race at the DL Final led to some sharp words, as 4th-placer Jakob Ingebrigtsen called his rivals “losers” and “a bunch of cowards.”
Most of the Norwegian’s ire was focused on Cole Hocker, who had asked for a fast pace and brought in his own pacemaker, but stayed well back from the front throughout the race. While Ingebrigtsen dialed back some of his comments, he stuck to his ground on Hocker.
“I shouldn’t have called anyone losers. I apologize for that. It was beneath me, regardless of the adrenaline and emotions. But I stand by what I said about Cole and his team acting cowardly.
“They told the other athletes and the organizers that they were targeting a specific pace and were bringing in their own pacemaker to set that pace, but then they did something completely different.
“When you promise the crowd a fast race, you have a responsibility to follow through — at least in my view. This isn’t about me losing. I wasn’t good enough. It’s about taking responsibility for the commitments you’ve made to the meeting organizers, the crowd and your competitors.”
Coe Still Targeting Russia
Despite the fact that its war against Ukraine continues after 4-and-a-half years, Russia is working hard to be reintegrated with the sports world. Its federation chief, Boris Yaryshevsky, said it has filed two CAS lawsuits over the summer, the first concerning athlete eligibility, and the second to get reinstatement into World Athletics.
The opposition the Russians are facing is none other than WA head Seb Coe, who has said, “Our position hasn’t changed. This isn’t about politics or passports, it’s about the integrity of competition.”
Coe says he will personally present at the CAS to defend the WA position, a stance the Russians object to.
“He is no longer speaking on behalf of World Athletics as a federation,” said Yaryshevsky. “He is speaking for himself, saying that he personally will go to court to defend this. I believe this is simply his personal position, not the position of World Athletics.”
What Happened To The Discus?
Not everyone was thrilled with the Ultimate Championship. The new look for the sport left out some key events. One of those was the discus, the event in which Australia’s Matt Denny won bronze in Paris. He posted a detailed review of the UC, complete with sharp commentary.
“What is actually different?… Right now it basically feels like a Diamond League final with less events, spread over more days, with some neon lights…
“I think all of these efforts are well intentioned. I just think some of that effort is going into the wrong areas and too much of it is coming from a viewpoint within the sport, rather than looking at it from the outside…
“When you take into account what was promised, the hype around this event, athletes being benched without any real explanation, and then fundamentally changing parts of events in the name of entertainment, only to arguably make them worse… it’s frustrating.
“Throwing some new graphics and neon lights over the top doesn’t suddenly make it a new product.” ◻︎
