TrackTown bid for IAAF World Championships draws headlines

Eugene has pushed itself into the international spotlight by bidding to host the 2019 IAAF World Outdoor Championships.

Both the Oregonian and the Register-Guard are covering the progress of the bid; their articles were published on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28, respectively. The Register-Guard also ran an editorial on the bid last Sunday, and sports columnist Austin Meek weighed in Tuesday.

TrackTown USA has proposed hosting the 2019 events at a renovated Hayward Field that would seat at least 30,000 people. Eugene hosted the IAAF World Junior Championships this past summer with 177 nations represented at the event.

For the world championships, Eugene is competing against Barcelona, Spain, and Doha, Qatar, with the 2015 championships being held in Beijing and the 2017 event in London. The 2013 event was held in Moscow.

If Eugene wins the bid, it will be the first time the championships will be held in the United States.

—By Nathan Stevens, Public Affairs Communications intern