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You don’t have to be an avid, hardcore fan of track and field to understand the magnitude of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 coming to Eugene in July.
It’s arguably the biggest sporting event to hit the Pacific Northwest. Not just because of the world-class athletes who will roam through it, but because of what it means for it to be located in Oregon.
The 10-day event is scheduled to take place at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. For its 18th edition, it will bring the world competition for track and field to Eugene and to the United States for the very first time.
Eugene has been regarded as the heart and home of the sport of track and field. The location makes sense if you’re going to have the event in the United States. The city has never hosted a competition with the stakes of Oregon22 before, however.
The competition for Oregon22 will be top-notch. It will be delivered in partnership with USA Track & Field and host approximately 2,000 of the best runners, throwers, and jumpers from more than 200 nations across the globe. Organizers expect 200,000 visitors will come to Oregon during the event.
Organizers said they expect 20,000 to 25,000 visitors per day at Hayward Field during the Championships, with more than 50,000 total visitors during the event’s run. That’s much less than the number of people at Ducks games, but these visitors are staying for multiple days and nights.
Hayward Field is the perfect U.S. location to host them. In its 100-year history, it has become the nation’s most storied track and field venue.
Named after the father of Oregon track and field, Bill Hayward, it has hosted more USA Olympic Track and Field Trials and NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships than any other venue. The impossible has become possible at Hayward and countless records have been broken on its stage.
And many more could be broken this summer when a historic event visits a historic home.
For more information about the world championships and to buy tickets, visit the World Athletics website.
— Aron Yohannes
ayohannes@oregonian.com; @aronyohannes
Original Article: Source