World Athletics records revenue growth in 2025

Increased underlying revenue, excluding the Olympic Dividend, and a continued focus on financial management enabled World Athletics to increase investment in athletes, grants, development and innovation while maintaining a strong cash position in 2025, according to the organisation’s Annual Report and Accounts published on Friday.

Like-for-like revenue, excluding the Olympic Dividend, which is received once every four years, rose 15 per cent to US$69.2 million, while expenditure remained relatively flat at US$79.4 million, despite increased investment across the sport. When the Olympic Dividend is included, World Athletics remains on track to achieve a balanced budget across the four-year cycle.

Investment in Area Association and Member Federation grants for competition and development increased 12 per cent to US$13.4 million, while World Athletics maintained a strong cash position of US$37.3 million at the halfway point of the 2024-2027 financial cycle.

Broadcast and commercial rights, including profit-sharing arrangements, accounted for the bulk of the organisation’s revenue during the year. A new ticket-marketing strategy introduced for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 also generated more than US$3 million and is being further developed to create additional revenue opportunities for future World Athletics Series hosts and the governing body.

The investment came during a year of significant growth and innovation across the sport. A total of 9,067 competitions were registered worldwide in 2025, up from 7,791 in 2024, while the number of Continental Tour meetings rose from 247 to 262, creating more opportunities for athletes to compete and earn world ranking points.

Three World Athletics Series events were staged during the year: the World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 25, World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 and World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. Together, the events generated a combined economic impact of more than US$586 million.

Tokyo highlighted the global reach of athletics, with athletes from 84 countries reaching a final or securing a top-eight finish, the highest number ever recorded at a World Athletics Championships.

Investment also 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 the 189 eligible Member Federations, 170 had approved Grant for Growth projects for the 2025-2026 period, with US$3.4 million distributed, an increase of 17 per cent over 2024. In addition, more than US$50 million in prize money will be distributed to athletes between 2024 and 2028.

Innovation was also evident 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 be held in Budapest from September 11-13.

The new three-day championship will bring together the world’s leading athletes across 28 disciplines and offer a record US$10 million prize purse, the largest in athletics history. Individual winners will receive US$150,000, while every competing athlete is guaranteed financial reward.

Progress was also reported 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 per cent to 70,324. The number of known fans grew to 2.1 million by year end, generating US$1.5 million 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.

“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.”