The World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 reached an important milestone on Friday (30) as the founding board meeting of the local organising committee (LOC) was held to elect Mitsugi Ogata as its president.

The meeting took place at Japan Sport Olympic Square in Tokyo, with 10 founding board members in attendance. The organising body is due to be inaugurated on Tuesday (4).

The 2025 World Athletics Championships will see the sport’s biggest stars return to Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium, venue for the Olympic Games, in the year that the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) celebrates its centenary year.

“Top athletes from around the world, thriving with their talent and competing in front of lively fans, will surely bring excitement and inspire many,” said Ogata, President of the JAAF.

“Athletes’ performances will convey the appeal and true value of sports to the people of Tokyo and Japan, and carry on the legacy of the Tokyo 2020 Games. To lead the way for the creation of a new sporting world post Tokyo 2020, the World Athletics Championships will innovate new models for organising major international competitions.

“The organising body must have sound governance and integrity as its top priority. We aim to host the World Athletics Championships with approval and support from the people of Tokyo and Japan.”

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “The Tokyo World Championships reached a significant milestone today with the founding board meeting of the local organising committee. We awarded the 2025 World Athletics Championships to Tokyo because we have faith in the local authorities to deliver a brilliant event and to do so with a clear structure of governance.

“This is an important step towards that goal. We also want to see the National Stadium that was constructed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games finally used as it was designed to be and filled with a passionate crowd cheering on the best athletes in the world. There will be no better way to celebrate 100 years of our sport in Japan, as the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF) marks its centenary in 2025.

“We further trust that the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 will inspire the people of Japan to continue chasing their own hopes and dreams.”

Friday also marked 50 days until the next edition of the World Athletics Championships, which will be held in Budapest in Hungary between 19-27 August.

WCH Tokyo 25 LOC

Board members:
Tsutomu Ushioda, Vice Governor of Tokyo
Mitsugi Ogata, President of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations
Akira Kazama, Vice President of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations
Takashi Takeichi, Counselor to the Governor on Financial Management, President of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Personnel Support Foundation
Naoto Tobe, athlete (high jump) and Chair of the JAAF Athletes’ Commission
Mizuki Noguchi, former athlete (marathon) and sports commentator
Shino Hirose, lawyer and Director of the Baseball Federation of Japan
Yuri Yagi, lawyer and Arbitrator of Court of Arbitration for Sport
Hideki Yokoyama, Director General of the Bureau of Citizens, Culture and Sports
Kyoko Raita, Professor of School of Health and Sport Sciences, Chukyo University, and Executive Director of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations

Auditors:
Yoko Kudo, CPA in the State of California, Audit & Supervisory Board Member of Volleyball Association
Takeshi Watanabe, lawyer (Japan, New York State)

Councillors:
Takao Ohashi, lawyer and Deputy Chairman of the committee to protect sports people from violence and abuse at Japan Sport Council
Yuko Mitsuya, President of the Japan Basketball Association
Masako Yajima, lawyer (Japan, New York State) and professor at Keio University Law School