Polish city confirmed as host of 2021 world relays

The World Athletics World Relays is not coming back to The Bahamas… at least not in the immediate future.

The highly popular event will head to Europe for the first time in 2021, with the Polish region of Silesia confirmed as host of the fifth edition of the biennial event. The first three editions were held in The Bahamas – at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in New Providence, in 2014, 2015 and again in 2017.

In 2019, the newest addition to the World Athletics Series family, the World Relays, moved to the Japanese city of Yokohama, only after the Bahamian government pulled out of hosting it, citing too large of a price tag. Initially, five million dollars was budgeted, but the country decided that the price tag was too hefty at that time, and withdrew its host status 10 months prior to the start of the relays.

As for Poland, it has a proven track record of hosting major athletics events with Bydgoszcz having hosted the inaugural World Under-18 (U18) Championships in 1999 as well as two editions of the World Under-20 (U20) Championships and World Cross Country Championships. The city of Sopot staged the 2014 World Indoor Championships, while Gdynia is currently preparing to host the 2020 World Half Marathon Championships.

Poland also has a strong recent record in relay events. Their women’s 4×400 meters (m) team was triumphant in Yokohama and at the 2018 European Championships, while their men’s 4x400m squad set a world indoor record en route to taking gold at the World Indoor Championships Birmingham 2018.

Chorzow’s Silesian Stadium, which will hold the World Relays May 1-2, 2021, has in recent years hosted several well-attended international competitions that form part of the Hammer Throw Challenge, including the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, which last year attracted a crowd of more than 40,000 people. The Silesian Stadium was also where, in 1969, Nadezhda Chizhova became the first woman ever to surpass 20m in the shot put.

The region of Silesia is a major industrial hub and home to almost five million people.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe welcomed Silesia as the first European host of the world relays.

“The world relays is our youngest global event, but in just six years it has developed a vibrancy that gives it a unique character,’’ Coe said. “Its focus on team races allows our athletes to show a different side to their sport, and their joy in competing with teammates shines through.

“We have been blessed with wonderfully enthusiastic crowds at every edition of the world relays and we are confident that the people of Silesia will provide another lively atmosphere. Poland is one of our most active member federations and has a deserved reputation for delivering excellent athletics events and attracting big crowds, so I’m delighted that we will be bringing another of our World Athletics Series events there.”

The Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship, Jakub Chełstowski, said: “The Silesian Stadium has been proving that it is the best athletics stadium in Poland. We have the best infrastructure, and thousands of spectators cheering stars of world athletics create an exceptional atmosphere. The world relays will be a great opportunity to see the best runners, but also to inculcate passion for sports among children. In such activities the sports ambassadors of the Silesian Stadium such as Anita Włodarczyk, Justyna Święty-Ersetic and Ewa Swoboda are supporting us. It will also be a wonderful opportunity to promote the Silesian Voivodeship as a region that is worth visiting.”

The 2021 World Athletics World Relays will be used as a qualifying competition for relay teams aiming to compete at the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2022.

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