2023 World Athletics Championships facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
World Athletics Championships
Budapest 2023

Host city	Budapest
Country	Hungary
Motto	Witness The Wonder (Hungarian: Láss csodát!)
Organisers	World Athletics, Hungarian Athletics Association
Edition	19th
Events	49
Dates	19–27 August 2023
Opened by	President Katalin Novák
Main venue	National Athletics Centre
Website	Budapest23
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The 2023 World Athletics Championships were a huge sports event. They took place from August 19 to 27, 2023. This was the nineteenth time these championships were held.

The event happened at the National Athletics Centre. This stadium is in Budapest, Hungary. It was the first time Hungary hosted the World Athletics Championships. Budapest had wanted to host in 2007, but it didn't happen then. The official mascot for the event was a Racka sheep. Its name was Youhuu!

About the Championships

The World Athletics Championships are like the Olympics for track and field sports. Athletes from all over the world compete. They run, jump, and throw to see who is the best.

What Kinds of Events?

There are many different events in athletics. They include:

• Running races like sprints (100m, 200m), middle-distance (800m, 1500m), and long-distance (5000m, 10,000m).
• Hurdles races, where athletes jump over barriers.
• Relay races, where teams of athletes pass a baton.
• Race walking, a special kind of walking race.
• Jumping events like long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault.
• Throwing events like shot put, discus throw, hammer throw, and javelin throw.
• Combined events like the decathlon (for men) and heptathlon (for women). These involve competing in many different events.

The Main Stadium

The championships were held at the National Athletics Centre. This stadium was built just for this big event. It can hold about 36,000 people. Imagine how exciting it must have been with so many fans!

How Athletes Qualify

Athletes need to be really good to compete here. They can qualify in a few ways:

• By being ranked high on the World Athletics Rankings. This means they have performed well in other competitions.
• By being a "wild card." This means they are a reigning world champion. Or they might have won a major event like the 2022 Diamond League.
• By achieving a certain fast time or long distance. These are called "entry standards."
• If a country doesn't have many qualified athletes, they can sometimes send one athlete. This helps more countries participate.

Medal Winners

Here is a look at some of the countries that won medals:

  *   Host nation (Hungary)

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	5	2	2	9
2	Spain	2	0	0	2
3	Ethiopia	1	1	2	4
4	Great Britain and Northern Ireland	1	1	1	3
5	Sweden	1	1	0	2
6	Burkina Faso	1	0	0	1
	Canada	1	0	0	1
	Serbia	1	0	0	1
	Uganda	1	0	0	1
10	Jamaica	0	2	1	3
11	Cuba	0	1	1	2
	Italy	0	1	1	2
13	Australia	0	1	0	1
	Botswana	0	1	0	1
	Kenya	0	1	0	1
	Poland	0	1	0	1
	Slovenia	0	1	0	1
18	Brazil	0	0	1	1
	Czech Republic	0	0	1	1
	Hungary*	0	0	1	1
	Lithuania	0	0	1	1
	Netherlands	0	0	1	1
	Romania	0	0	1	1
Totals (23 entries)		14	14	14	42

Countries That Took Part

Athletes from many countries came to Budapest. Here is a list of all the nations that participated:

Where to Watch

Many people around the world watched the championships.

• In the United States, you could watch it on NBC Sports.
• In Europe and Africa, Eurovision Sport and ESPN helped broadcast the event.
• Warner Bros. Discovery also showed the event on Eurosport channels. This included Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, and the Eurosport App. You could also stream it on discovery+ in some countries.

See also

In Spanish: Campeonato Mundial de Atletismo de 2023 para niños