World Athletics propose World Treadmill Championships in a bid to ‘develop the virtual running scene’
- A World Treadmill Championships is proposed by World Athletics
- Lord Coe said, “Maybe you should watch this room, but why not?”
World Athletics is considering the creation of a World Treadmill Championships in its latest bid to grow the sport.
Lord Coe’s international governing body is close to signing a partnership with a tech company to ‘develop the virtual running scene’.
And it could see athletics follow sports such as rowing and cycling and create a global event for competitors on indoor ‘gym’ equipment.
“There are millions of people around the world who just go to the gym and run on the treadmill,” World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon told Mail Sport.
‘We have to make products for those people. We should have a World Treadmill Championship.
‘You are an athlete if you run for 30 minutes on a treadmill or if you win an Olympic gold medal in the 100 meters. It’s all athletics.
A World Treadmill Championships is proposed by World Athletics with the aim of developing the virtual running scene
‘We are currently working on it. We will be announcing a tech partner we will be working with to develop the virtual running scene.”
Asked about the prospect of a World Treadmill Championships, World Athletics president Lord Coe said: ‘Maybe you should watch this space, but ultimately why not?
“We have to embrace it and take our sport to where people are. That is crucial.
“Whether it’s virtual, whether it’s through Esports, whether it’s through a treadmill, these are all things we really want to explore.”
In rowing, a World Indoor Championship was launched in 2018, with participants using rowing machines known as ergometers.
The UCI Cycling Esports World Championships have been taking place since 2020, with competitors cycling indoors on turbo trainers using a virtual platform, initially Zwift but now MyWhoosh.
“We want to produce an athletics version,” Ridgeon said. ‘If you think athletics is the most participated sport in the world, we should have an equivalent.
‘We are trying to innovate in a whole range of areas and make the sport as future-proof as possible.’
World Athletics chairman Lord Coe said: ‘You may need to watch this space, but ultimately, why not?’
Mail Sport reported last year that the International Olympic Committee would welcome virtual versions of existing Olympic sports as medal disciplines if they are physical, such as the treadmill.
“Where there is a full physical replication of the traditional sport, the door is open and we are governed by the respective international federations,” said Kit McConnell, the IOC’s director of sport.
It’s unlikely that esports will become a standalone sport at the Olympics in the near future, but the first Olympic esports games will be held in Saudi Arabia next year.
The sports for the program have yet to be announced, but cycling was part of the Olympic Esports Week test event in Singapore last year.