The World Athletics governing body has opened the bidding process for hosting rights covering the 2029 and 2031 editions of its crown-jewel World Athletics Championships.

The Monaco-based governing body launched said bidding processes yesterday (June 23), with an initial deadline by which interested parties need to submit a pre-qualification form of October 1.

Ahead of this, member federations and "host institution stakeholders" interested in taking part in the bidding process have been invited by World Athletics to take part in the observer program at this year's upcoming World Athletics Championships (held biennially) in Tokyo, Japan.

Following the October 1 deadline, interested cities and stakeholders will then have until August 5 next year before the final submission deadline for the bid application form closes.

World Athletics has put September next year in its bid calendar as the month in which the hosts for the 2029 and 2031 events will be formally awarded.

In terms of potential bidders, London, the UK capital, will bid to host the 2029 edition, as was laid out in April this year.

The governing body has said that the observer program in Tokyo will be able to "provide a unique experience and valuable knowledge exchange," and that this will give them a chance to "observe, learn, and engage."

Tokyo was awarded hosting rights for this year's event in July 2022, while the 2027 World Athletics Championships are set to take place in Beijing, China, having been confirmed in February 2024.

Beijing’s hosting of the games in two years will mark the first time that two consecutive editions of the championships will be held in Asia, and the first time since 2003-05 that two countries on the same continent will host consecutively, a testament to the growth of athletics in that region.

The last World Athletics Championships were staged in Budapest in 2023.