The World Athletics Championship is the world’s biggest annual track and field sporting event. It takes place every two years and offers 147 medals across 49 events to the best athletes from around the world.
The event was first staged in 1983. Until that time, the Olympic Games had been designated as the World Championships for the sport of track and field. In the 1960s, however, there was growing lobbying among members of the International Association of Athletic Federations (now called World Athletics) for a separate, independent competition. Eventually, at an IAAF Council meeting in 1976 in Puerto Rico, the idea was approved to hold an Athletics World Championship event, separately from the Olympic Games.
A total of 15 world records were broken in the inaugural championships, with Carl Lewis and Bob Beamon each setting three in the 100m and long jump respectively. Jonathan Edwards and Inessa Kravets both set three in the triple jump, while Sergey Bubka cleared a record 6.01m in the pole vault.
The following year, a number of races were moved up to ensure athlete safety in the high temperatures that prevailed. The organisers also used the opportunity to experiment with new starting methods for some events.
World Athletics Championships are organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations, which was founded in 1912. It regulates international track and field athletic competitions globally and is a member of the International Olympic Committee. Its major aims are to establish friendly cooperation between its member federations; to eliminate hindrance to participation in international meets on racial or political grounds; and to compile rules and regulations for international competition.