The World Athletics Council, meeting today here in Tokyo, has also agreed on host cities the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships 2022, which will be held in Muscat, Oman.

Oman will host a World Athletics Series event for the first time following the awarding of the 2022 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships to its capital Muscat.

Minsk in Belarus was originally selected to host this event but the World Athletics Council decided to relocate the event after receiving a report prepared by the World Athletics Risk Committee.

The event will now be held in Muscat on 4 and 5 March 2022 and organised in partnership by Oman Sail, the Oman Athletics Association and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Mohammed Al Asmi, Board member of the Oman Athletics Association, said: 

"This is a great opportunity to enhance athletics in Oman. We have seen in the past how enthusiastic the Omani people have been for home grown and international events and to be able to bring a major championship to the country has the potential to position athletics as one of the leading sports in Oman."

Oman intends to turn this event into a wider celebration of athletics.

As well as the elite male and female 20 kilometres race walk events, under-20 male and female 10km race walk events and a 35km combined race, it will feature masters categories, 1km and 2km kids' runs and a park-run festival.