2016 World Indoor Track & Field Championships

Portland, Oregon, has been selected to host the 2016 World Indoor Track & Field Championships, the first time a U.S. city has hosted the event since 1987. The three-day meet will be held in March 2016 at Portland’s Oregon Convention Center. As configured for the event, the facility will accommodate more than 8,000 spectators. A new 200-meter IAAF-certified track will be built and then repurposed as a legacy of the event.

USA Track & Field President Stephanie Hightower, USATF CEO Max Siegel and TrackTown USA President Vin Lananna presented the joint Portland bid to the IAAF Council in Monaco. Portland was selected over a 2016 bid from Birmingham, England, which was later awarded the 2018 event.

The 2016 World Indoor Championships will mark the first time a senior World Athletics Series event has been held in the United States since the World Cross Country Championships in 1992. Eugene will host the 2014 World Junior Championships.

“We are honored and proud to be given the opportunity to again host the world’s national track and field teams on U.S. soil,” Siegel said. “USATF and TrackTown have the vision and execution that will make the meet a truly world-class experience.”

The U.S. bid was based on contributing to the growth of sport globally and domestically into new markets for fans, athlete and the general public. “We plan to leave a lasting legacy of new facilities, a renewed passion, and a new model to present indoor track and field,” Lananna said. “We will work tirelessly to create the most awe-inspiring event ever held in the U.S. for the athletes, fans, officials, media, partners and the entire IAAF family. We want to demonstrate our commitment with action.”