World Athletics

What is World Athletics?

World Athletics is the international federation for athletics: track and field, road running, race walking, cross country and mountain and trail running. Article 1 of its Constitution states that “World Athletics (formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)) is an association of the Member Federations”, registered under the law of Monaco.^[2] The Constitution in force was “amended and approved by Congress on 12 September 2025, effective 03 November 2025”.^[2]

Its first stated purpose is to “promote, develop, and be the governing body for the sport of Athletics worldwide”.^[2] On its own site it describes itself as “The global home of athletics” and says it represents 214 member federations, “making it one of the largest and most universal global sports federations”.^[1] Olympedia, independently, records 214 affiliated countries and territories as of January 2026 and lists the disciplines it oversees as track and field, road running, cross country, mountain running, trail running and ultra running.^[4]

What does World Athletics govern or do?

Rules. The rules sit in its Book of Rules. Book C holds the Competition Rules and Technical Rules (C1.1 and C2.1, updated 1 July 2026), the Athletic Shoe Regulations (C2.1A, effective from 20 April 2026), the Eligibility Rules (C3.3A, updated 27 March 2026), the “Regulations for Implementation of Eligibility Rule 3.5 (Male and Female Categories)” (C3.5A, updated 2 December 2025), and the Diamond League and Continental Tour regulations (C1.3 and C1.4, updated 27 March 2026).^[3]

Integrity and anti-doping. The Constitution establishes the Athletics Integrity Unit “to protect the integrity of Athletics and World Athletics” (Article 70) and provides that “The Integrity Unit is independent in its operations” (Article 72).^[2] Among World Athletics’ purposes is to “protect clean athletes in Athletics by applying and enforcing the World Anti-Doping Code”. Book D carries the Athletics Integrity Unit Rules (D2.1, updated 25 September 2026) and the Anti-Doping Rules (D3.1, updated 1 January 2026).^[3]

Membership sanctions. Under Article 13 the Council “may provisionally suspend a Member Federation’s Membership” and Congress “may suspend a Member Federation’s Membership for a period”.^[2] On 18–19 March 2026 the Council found that Russian Athletics had met all Special Conditions for anti-doping purposes and set new conditions for reinstatement, adding that “The above decision relates solely to the anti-doping compliance status of Russian Athletics”.^[8] On 1–2 July 2026 it “reaffirmed the decision it made in March 2022, revisited in 2023 and 2025 and discussed again in 2026 to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, officials and supporting personnel from international competition”.^[7]

When was World Athletics founded and where is it based?

World Athletics’ own site states that it was “Founded in 1912 in Stockholm”.^[1] Olympedia confirms the date and place independently: “On 17 July 1912, following the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in the Swedish capital, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) was founded as the world governing body for the sport of track and field athletics.”^[4]

Two renamings followed. Olympedia records that the federation became the International Association of Athletics Federations in 2001, keeping the IAAF acronym, and took the name World Athletics in 2019.^[4] Article 1 of the Constitution records the former name in its first sentence.^[2]

The seat is fixed by Article 3: “The headquarters and registered office of World Athletics shall be situated in Monaco.” The Constitution also records that the federation was registered as an association in the Principality of Monaco on 28 October 1993.^[2] Olympedia likewise dates the Monaco headquarters to 1993.^[4]

How is World Athletics recognised?

IOC and the Olympic Games. Olympedia records that “Athletics is the original Olympic sport” and that the first men’s events were held “at the inaugural edition of the Games, at Athinai 1896”, with women first competing in 1928 in Amsterdam.^[4] The date of the IOC’s original recognition of the IAAF could not be established from a retrieved primary source.

ASOIF. World Athletics is one of the 30 full members listed by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations.^[5]

WADA. WADA’s list of Code signatories includes “World Athletics (ex-IAAF)” among the international federations that are ASOIF members.^[6] Enforcement of the Code is written into World Athletics’ purposes in the Constitution.^[2]

Russia and Belarus. The Council’s decisions of March 2026 and July 2026 are distinct, and they date the original exclusion differently. The March 2026 decision concerns only Russian Athletics’ anti-doping compliance and states: “The Council decisions concerning the war in Ukraine, adopted in March 2023 and reaffirmed in March 2025, remain fully in place and are unchanged.”^[8] The July 2026 decision states that the Council “reaffirmed the decision it made in March 2022, revisited in 2023 and 2025 and discussed again in 2026 to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes, officials and supporting personnel from international competition”.^[7] The wider picture across sports is set out under national suspensions and neutral athletes.

What does World Athletics organise?

World Athletics Championships. The 2025 edition was held in Tokyo from 13 to 21 September 2025; World Athletics’ event page notes that Tokyo hosted “for the second time and for the first time since 1991”.^[10] The next edition is scheduled for Beijing, 10–19 September 2027.^[9] See the World Athletics Championships.

Ultimate Championship. The first World Athletics Ultimate Championship was held in Budapest on 11–13 September 2026.^[11]

Other World Athletics Series events. In 2026 the Cross Country Championships were held in Tallahassee (10 January), the U20 Championships in Oregon (5–9 August) and the Road Running Championships in Copenhagen (19–20 September). The next World Indoor Championships are scheduled for Bhubaneswar on 3–5 March 2028, the Race Walking Team Championships for Hefei on 9 April 2028 and the Relays for Nassau on 22–23 April 2028.^[9]

Circuits. World Athletics sanctions the Diamond League, whose next meeting is in Doha on 7 May 2027, the Continental Tour, and indoor, cross country and combined events tours.^[9]

Who are its members?

World Athletics’ own site gives “214 Member Federations”.^[1] Olympedia gives the same figure, 214 affiliated countries and territories, as of January 2026.^[4] Article 1 of the Constitution defines the federation as “an association of the Member Federations”.^[2]

Member federations are grouped into six Areas under Article 18 of the Constitution: Africa; Asia; Europe; North America, Central America and Caribbean; Oceania; and South America.^[2]

National members include USA Track & Field, the Polish Athletics Association, the Athletics Federation of Ukraine, the Brazilian CBAt and the Mexican FMAA. For the Russian member federation, Russian Athletics, the Council’s 2026 decisions run on two tracks: its anti-doping Special Conditions were declared met in March, while the exclusion of Russian athletes from international competition was reaffirmed on 1–2 July.^[7][8]