US to host in 2021

The World Athletics Championships will be held in the United States for the first time after the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) awarded the 2021 championships to Eugene, Oregon on Thursday.

The IAAF said it was able to skip the usual bidding proccess and choose Eugene - a town filled with American track history and the birth place of sportswear giant Nike - after financial support had been offered by the state's governor.

"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," IAAF President Lamine Diack said in a statement.

Eugene, the second largest city in the state of Oregon, had also bid to host the 2019 championships. But in a secret ballot held in Monaco earlier this year, Doha, Qatar was chosen as the host.

The World Championships have been held every two years since 1991 and will be hosted in Beijing later this year then in London in 2017.

"I thank President Diack, the Council and USATF President Stephanie Hightower and CEO Max Siegel in supporting the bid," said Vin Lananna, who led Eugene's bid for the championships.

"We promise to deliver an outstanding championships for the sport of track and field in America and around the world."

apc/jh (Reuters, AP)