Turkey to host 2024 Race Walking Team Championships

Turkey's resort city of Antalya has been picked to host the 30th edition of the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships.

This event — held generally on a biennial basis — will take place in 2024.

Only last month, Turkey was shaken by a deadly earthquake close to its border with Syria, causing major loss of life and devastating entire neighbourhoods.

Despite this massive setback, the nation still managed to host the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

Wednesday's announcement by World Athletics in a press statement means that it will be the second time that Turkey has hosted a World Athletics Series event.

The first one was in 2012, when the World Athletics Indoor Championships were held in Istanbul.

For next year's global team racewalking competition, as many as 500 athletes from 50 countries are projected to compete in Antalya.

The competition will also be a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In the press statement, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said Turkey has "established good records" as host of international athletics events, which he says underlines its "commitment to our sport on a global level".

Meanwhile,  Turkish Athletics Federation president Fatih Cintimar is quoted as saying that Antalya hosting the global event will help raise awareness of athletics in Turkey, gain new athletics fans as well as increase the popularity of athletics.

By hosting the championships, Cintimar said "we hope to gain great momentum for our sport".