With an increasing number of virtual events and races taking place in the world of sports, athletics might follow suit. According to the Daily Mail, in an effort to grow the virtual running scene and appeal to the millions of daily gym treadmill runners, World Athletics has proposed a World Treadmill Championships.
In the past few years, integrating tech and indoor exercise equipment into sports has become increasingly popular. Cycling, rowing and triathlon have already seen success in their global championships that take place using indoor exercise equipment to simulate virtual races.
World Athletics also hopes to embrace these technological advancements and aim to attract new audiences. “You might have to watch this space, but ultimately, why not?’ World Athletics President Sebastian Coe told Mail Sport. “We have got to take our sport to where people are. That is crucial. Whether it is through virtual, whether it is through Esports, whether it is through treadmill, these are all the things that we want to really explore.”
First day at my new job at World Athletics!
My first project was getting rid of the 10ks and replacing them with a treadmill world championships.
Logging to see how excited people are 👀
— Alex Predhome, Christmaspilled (@Predamame) November 26, 2024
Since the running boom–the exponential growth in running’s popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic–World Athletics recognizes that now is the perfect time to increase the opportunities for this audience. World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon revealed that the governing body is working with a tech partner to enter and develop the virtual running scene. Fans speculate that the partner might be Zwift, an online cycling and running program that already hosts the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships.
The announcement has received backlash on social media. “Our Global Governing body is really trying to make Wii sports championships. What are we doing man?” American Olympic hurdler Freddie Crittenden commented on Athletics Weekly’s Instagram post. Some users argue that the sport would be more popular if made more accessible for viewers, while others comment that the announcement feels like an April Fool’s joke.
I wrote this article two years ago as an April Fools joke…
It aged significantly well 😂https://t.co/jP0e3vunkf
— Marley Dickinson (@marleydickinson) November 26, 2024
In fact, the concept was originally proposed by Canadian Running’s own Marley Dickinson last year as an April Fool’s joke.
