Tough entry standards set for 2023 World Athletics Championships

With one year to go until the 2023 World Athletics Championships set to be held in Budapest, the qualification system for the global showpiece has been published.

The Hungarian capital, which hosted the World Indoor Championships in 1989 and 2004, will now welcome athletes for the World Athletics Championships taking place between 19 to 27 August 2023.

In the entry standard released, athletes have their work cut out to achieve automatic qualification marks for the World Champs in 12 months’ time.

These include a men’s long jump standard of 8.25m – a distance that only two athletes achieved at last month’s World Championships in Eugene – plus the women’s high jump of 1.97m and men’s 10,000m of 27:10.00.

As was the case in 2019 and 2022, athletes will be able to qualify for the World Championships by achieving an entry standard or through their placing on the world rankings.

The qualification period for the marathon and 35km race walk opened on 1 December 2021 and ends on 30 May 2023. For the 10,000m, 20km race walk and combined events, the window runs from 31 January 2022 until 30 July 2023. For all other disciplines, the qualification period is 31 July 2022 to 30 July 2023.

Defending world champions will be offered a wild card entry, as will the winners of the 2022 Diamond League, World Race Walking Tour and World Combined Events Tour, plus the leading hammer performers on the Continental Tour; all subject to selection by the athlete's national federation.

Area champions in selected disciplines and subject to certain conditions, top-five finishers at Platinum Label marathons during the qualification period and winners of Gold Label marathons held in 2023 shall also be considered as having achieved the entry standard.

The number of athletes in some events has been adjusted, compared to 2022. Most noticeable is in the field events, where the number has been increased from 32 to 36.

The mile – both in-stadium and road mile – will now be a qualifying event for the 1500m, while performances achieved on the road in the 5km and 10km will be eligible for qualification in the 5000m and 10,000m, respectively.

In addition, the top eight athletes in the world cross country rankings not otherwise qualified through other pathways will be considered qualified for the 10,000m.

The event next year will be held at the new National Athletics Centre expected to hold about 36,000 spectators.

The schedule is expected to be slightly shorter than the drawn-out 10-day programme in Eugene last month. Instead, in Budapest, there will be seven morning and nine evening sessions.