Eugene is in contention to host the largest sporting event in the world in 2019. International track and field evaluators visited Sunday and Monday. Next month, they'll choose the location of the 2019 World Championships.
The Evaluation Commission for the International Association of Athletics Federations has been to Barcelona, Spain. They travel to Doha, Qatar later this week. Eugene is the third contender for the competition. British politician and former Olympic middle distance athlete, Sebastian Coe, is the IAAF's Vice President:
Coe: "We are delighted that Eugene has thrown its hat in the ring for this. This is a community that understands track and field."
CEO of USA Track and Field Max Siegel hopes now is the time:
Siegel: "As the number one track and field team in the world, we feel like it's not only an honor but our duty to host events of this caliber."
The commission will rate the three candidate cites on many areas, including infrastructure as well as vision and appeal to younger audiences. They will make their decision on November 18th in Monaco.
Eugene's Hayward Field hosted the IAAF World Junior Championships this summer.