World Athletics Championship is the world championship of track and field, organised by the International Association of Athletic Federations. It is held biennially and is the most important athletics competition in the sport. Since its inception in 1983, it has produced over 100 World Championship records. It is a major sporting event and has attracted the largest number of spectators in its history.

The 2025 edition of the World Championships will be held from September 13 to 21 in Tokyo, Japan. The competition will feature the best athletes from the IAAF’s 213 member federations in 20 events across the track and field.

Athletes qualify for the World Championships by achieving the required standard in their events at qualifying meetings. These are usually held in the build-up to the event. In some cases, the highest-ranked athletes are selected by the organising federation to compete at the championships. This method was introduced in the late 1980s when the IAAF changed from a quadrennial to two-year cycle of the championships.

The Australian team for the World Athletics Championship includes two-time Olympic medallists Cathy Freeman and Greg Bleby, world record holder Matthew Norman (NSW), Commonwealth Games champions Sam Powell and Claudia Hollingsworth, teenage sprinter Cameron Myers (ACT) and long jumper Delta Amidzovski (NSW). Also included is the fastest male runner in Australia, Jason Crump, who will be looking to improve on his impressive 10.50 time at the World Championships last year. Australian General Manager – High Performance Andrew Faichney believes the size and calibre of the team reflects a genuine shift in the sport, both globally and at home.