2025 Annual Report and Accounts
Increased underlying revenues, excluding the Olympic Dividend, and a continued focus on financial management allowed World Athletics to boost investment in athletes, grants and development and innovation while maintaining a strong cash position in 2025, according to the organisation’s Annual Report and Accounts published today (4).
World Athletics 2025 Annual Report and Accounts
Reports available in English and French
Like-for-like revenue, excluding the Olympic Dividend, which is received once every four years, rose 15% to US$69.2m, while expenditure remained relatively flat at US$79.4m despite increased investment across the sport. When the Olympic Dividend is taken into consideration, World Athletics is running a balanced budget over the four-year cycle.
Investment in Area Association and Member Federation grants for competition and development rose 12% to US$13.4m, while World Athletics maintained a strong cash position of US$37.3m halfway through the 2024-2027 financial cycle.
Broadcast and commercial rights, including profit share, contributed the bulk of World Athletics’ revenue during the year. A new ticket marketing strategy implemented for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 also generated just over US$3m for World Athletics and is being further developed to create additional revenue opportunities for both future World Athletics Series hosts and the organisation.
The investment came during a year of significant competition growth and innovation. A total of 9067 competitions were registered around the world in 2025, up from 7791 in 2024, while the number of Continental Tour meetings increased from 247 to 262, creating more opportunities for athletes to compete locally and earn world ranking points.
Three World Athletics Series events were held during the year – the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25, World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 and World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 – with a combined economic impact of more than US$586m.
Tokyo highlighted the global reach of the sport, with athletes from 84 countries making a final or achieving a top-eight finish – the highest number ever at a World Athletics Championships.
Investment continued in fan research, data and analytics, digital products and enhanced sport presentation, alongside support for Member Federations through the Grant for Growth programme. Of 189 eligible Member Federations, 170 had an approved Grant for Growth project for the 2025-2026 period, with US$3.4m distributed – an increase of 17% on 2024. In addition, between 2024-2028, over US$50million will be distributed in prize money to our athletes.
Innovation was also reflected on the field of play. The mixed 4x100m relay made its debut at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25, the 300m hurdles was officially added to the Competition Rules, and World Athletics launched plans for the RUN X™ World Treadmill Championship in partnership with Technogym.
One of the most significant developments during 2025 was the continued preparation for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship, which will take place in Budapest from 11-13 September 2026.
The new three-day championship brings together the world’s best athletes in 28 disciplines and offers a record-breaking US$10 million prize pot – the largest in athletics history – with individual winners receiving US$150,000 and with the guarantee that every competing athlete will be financially rewarded.
Progress was also made across the five pillars of World Athletics’ Pioneering Change Strategy – more participation, more people, more fans, more partnerships and event innovation.
Some 120 Member Federations and 630,000 children took part in Kids’ Athletics Day in 2025, while course completions across World Athletics education programmes increased by 121% to 70,324. The number of known fans grew to 2.1 million by the end of the year, generating US$1.5m in direct revenue.
“We are no longer a summer sport spanning just a few months,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “We are a sport that is on show 12 months of the year.
“The World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 showed us the scale of our reach with 84 countries making a final or a top-eight finish. This is an extraordinary number, the highest ever, and sets us apart from all other sport. An unprecedented global footprint.
“But these results don’t come about by chance. There is significant investment behind the scenes, both financially and through focused resources from HQ, Area Associations and our Member Federations.
“We will continue to deliver our sport with an unrelenting focus on ethics, equality and empowerment with a large dash of transparency and integrity.”
World Athletics