The Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships has set several records in the recent history of the sport. With the participation of 1,992 athletes representing 193 countries and the Refugee Athlete Team, the event attracted more than 619,000 spectators to the Japan National Stadium and reached a wide global audience across television and digital platforms.

Competitive diversity was also reflected in the medal table: a total of 53 countries claimed at least one medal, the highest number ever recorded at a World Championships, with historic firsts for Samoa, Uruguay, Tanzania and Saint Lucia. This figure underscores the continuing globalization of athletics and the success of the Championships as a truly international platform.

Economic impact in Japan

The organization of the Championships cost approximately 17.4 billion yen —around 105 million euros or 112 million dollars—, a figure higher than the two previous editions. Budapest 2023 was held with a budget of around 70 million euros, while Eugene 2022 required close to 75 million. Tokyo, however, managed to offset part of this investment thanks to higher-than-expected ticket sales and sponsorship revenue.

Ticket sales generated 28.3 million dollars, about 9 million more than initially projected. The commercial program also exceeded expectations with 17 international partners and 14 domestic sponsors, in addition to direct donations. At the same time, World Athletics awarded 8.5 million dollars in prize money to athletes and teams, the highest figure reached to date in these Championships.

Record attendance and television audiences

Attendance at the Japan National Stadium surpassed the historic benchmark of the Tokyo 1991 World Championships, with evening sessions sold out throughout the week. The total number of spectators set a new record for a World Championships in athletics.

On television, coverage in Japan peaked at more than 12 million viewers on the opening day and remained above 10 million each evening, exceeding the audiences achieved by Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 in athletics competitions. Internationally, one notable example was Sweden, where 75% of the national TV audience watched Mondo Duplantis’ pole vault world record.

Sponsorship model and transparency

In the wake of corruption scandals linked to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the organizing committee adopted a direct sponsorship recruitment model, avoiding the use of traditional advertising agencies. This decision was aimed at ensuring “transparency and fairness” in the selection process and allowed the delivery of a large-scale commercial program.

Accreditation also reached record levels: more than 1,500 broadcast professionals and 860 journalists and photographers from 79 countries covered the event. By comparison, Budapest 2023 brought together about 1,200 broadcast professionals and 850 journalists and photographers from 75 countries, reflecting the growth of media coverage and consolidating Tokyo as a benchmark host city for major athletics championships.

Infrastructure legacy

The Japan National Stadium, built for the 2020 Olympic Games at a cost of 1.3 billion euros, was once again at the heart of competition. Its use during the World Championships helped to justify the investment made and improved the profitability of the facility after the operational losses recorded in the years following the Olympics.

In contrast to recent hosts such as Budapest, which relied on a temporary stadium with lower costs, or Eugene, which used a renovated university facility, Tokyo reaffirmed through these Championships its commitment to permanent, large-capacity infrastructure as a cornerstone for consolidating its status as a leading international host city.