World Athletics Eyes Growth Amidst Fierce Sports Competition
World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon reports significant growth in the sport's income, which has increased by 25% over the last three to four years, alongside expanding audiences across global TV, media, and social platforms.
The federation's world championships, scheduled for Tokyo in 2025, are being touted as the biggest sporting event of the year, reflecting the sport's rising prominence. At the September world championships, World Athletics recorded 700 million video views on its social channels, doubling the figure from the Budapest event two years earlier.
To attract casual fans year-round, World Athletics plans to enhance broadcast quality by incorporating features such as drone footage to make the sport more visually engaging. Additionally, their data and research unit employs sensors to measure spectator emotional responses to various events and performances.
Innovative initiatives include the introduction of a World Treadmill Championships targeting gym-goers, and at the 2025 Ultimate Championships, athletes will be permitted to bring their own social media teams to amplify content.
Ridgeon acknowledges that athletics competes not only against other sports but against a broad entertainment landscape. He positions athletics between major "Goliath" sports like football and Formula 1, and smaller Olympic sports, aspiring to solidify a stronger presence within that competitive hierarchy.
The dialogue between Ridgeon and Ingle, which took place during a launch party for the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Tokyo, was candid and constructive, following Ingle's Guardian column which Ridgeon had previously described as unfair.
High-profile athletes and events are cited to showcase the sport's marketability, including Armand Duplantis's pole vault achievements, Sabastian Sawe's London Marathon victory, Noah Lyles's charismatic sprinting, and a comparison of the sports entertainment dynamic demonstrated by the Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua boxing match.
