"We are delighted that Eugene has thrown its hat in the ring for this," said Coe, vice-president of the IAAF.

"This is a community that understands track and field.

"A large part of your history is the history of our sport internationally."

Sebastian Coe (centre) has praised Eugene's bid to host the 2019 IAAF World Championships but warned they faced "operational" challenges ©TrackTown USA

The United States is the most successful country in the history of the IAAF World Championships since it was launched in 1983, having won a total of 300 medals, including 138 gold.

But it has never staged the Championships.

TrackTown USA, the organisation behind the 2008 and 2012 US Olympic Trials at Hayward Field, as well as the World Junior Championships last summer, are leading the Eugene bid, along with USA Track & Field.

At one stage the 10-member Commission, which also includes Canada's Abigail Hoffman and Japan's Katsuyuki Tanaka, members of the IAAF Council, were greeted in Eugene by local youngsters wearing TrackTown tee-shirts and chanting: "We want Worlds!"

Fans of the Oregon Ducks, the University of Oregon's American football team, also unfurled a banner at a recent match urging "#VOTE TRACKTOWN"

"Clearly, it would be a big moment for a city to stage a games that has never held them before in a country that has never held them before," said Coe, former chairman of London 2012. 

"If I may say so, that was probably the refrain for the previous two days.

"I don't think any of us are leaving here in any doubt about the seriousness that you take these Championships."

Fans of the Oregon Ducks, the University of Oregon's American football team, have shown their support for Eugene's bid for the 2019 IAAF World Championships ©TrackTown USA

Under Eugene's proposal, the Championships would be staged at Hayward Field with the size of the stadium being temporarily increased from its current capacity of 10,500 to 30,000, the minimum size stipulated by the IAAF. 

Eugene remains an outsider behind favourites Doha, beaten by London to host the 2017 edition of the event, and Barcelona, which staged the 1992 Olympics and 2010 European Championships and which has already had a visit from the IAAF Evaluation Commission. 

During this latest two-day evaluation visit the Commission analysed Eugene's capabilities in a number of areas, based on a study of its bidding documents.

Amongst the key areas they examined were vision and general concept, competition, accommodation, transportation, broadcasting, media operations, medical and anti-doping, security, sponsorship and legacy.

"You have some quite clear, specific operational needs," Coe said.

"Some of them are very clear in the functional areas, and we interrogated them in private. 

"The primary client group that you are delivering anything for, of course, are the athletes.

"If you get it right for the athletes, you get it right.

"You can't give athletes sub-standard accommodation.

"You can't give them training venues that are not integrated to the competition venues.

"You can't give them transportation that unravels."

The IAAF Evaluation Commission will now head to Doha to inspect their bid on Thursday and Friday (October 30 and 31).

The IAAF's ruling Executive Council is due to choose the host city in Monte Carlo on November 18 following a report from Coe and presentations from all three cities.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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