Today (Tuesday), Doha Qatar was chosen over Eugene and Barcelona to host the 2019 World Track and Field Championships.
It took two rounds of voting for the 27 member IAAF council to reach a decision. After Barcelona was eliminated, Doha received 15 votes and Eugene, 12. Vin Lananna, President of Track Town USA, spoke from Monaco, where the announcement was made:
Lananna: “We appreciate all of the collaboration, the excitement, the encouragement, and having the guts to step forward and take it on the world stage.”
Lananna says Eugene may bid for the 2021 World Championships. Hayward Field will not be idle in the meantime. Eugene will host the NCAA track and field championships every year until 2021, and the 2016 Olympic Trials. Lananna says the planned expansion of Hayward is moving forward:
Lananna: “One of our ambitious goals is to complete it by the 2016 Olympic Trials.”
Right now, Lananna says, his biggest concern is finding his way from southern France to southern Indiana. The U of O competes in the NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday.
