Coe predicts Budapest 2023 may be the best World Championship ever

The president of World Athletics Sebastian Coe says this record-laden athletics season has convinced him that next month’s world championships could be the best of all time in terms of performance, and he is confident there will be big crowds in Budapest to witness the action.

Because of Covid, the sport is hosting back-to-back editions of the usually biennial world championships, with the Aug 19-27 event following last year’s postponed worlds in Eugene, Oregon.

“You have to say that this has been the best start I can remember to any track and field season,” World Athletics president Coe told reporters .

“I was very lucky. I saw the first of Faith Kipyegon’s (three) world records when she won the 1,500m in Florence and then in Paris we had three world records. There have just been some outstanding performances. We keep our fingers crossed for some of the head-to-heads but these have the potential to be the best world championships performance-wise of all time.

“You have all the ingredients - 2,000 athletes from over 200 countries. There can’t be too many sports commentating on gold medals for Ecuador and the Dominican Republic. These are a genuine world championships.”

The event is being held in a purpose-built stadium in an area of Budapest that Coe hopes will benefit economically just as parts of east London did from the 2012 Olympics.

Though Budapest, or just about anywhere else, is never going to match the 50,000 who turned up two weeks ago to watch the Diamond League meeting in the London’s Olympic Stadium, World Athletics says ticket sales have been strong.

“In the first few days we have finals, straight away, it’s not a slow burn,” Coe said.

“Morning sessions are always tough (for ticket sales) but for a few hours every day people recognise that the morning sessions are when schools and kids can get to see the same heroes who are just navigating their way through to some of those finals.

“It’s all part of what I want the world championships to ultimately start heading towards - a tighter, faster rhythm. We also need to make sure that we’ve got events that really matter in some parts of the world that are being shown at times where people are going to consume them within their own lifestyles, rather than asking people to get up at unearthly hours.”