Preliminary entries of 2567 athletes (1423 men and 1144 women) have been received from 203 IAAF member federations for the 15th edition of the championships, which will be held between 22-30 August.
Even taking into account the usual reduction in numbers between preliminary entries and final participants, the IAAF is optimistic that Beijing’s Birds Nest Stadium will witness the biggest ever gathering of athletes for the sport’s premier event on its calendar.
There were 1335 athletes from 153 member federations at the first World Championships in 1983, which demonstrates how the sport has progressed at the highest level in the past 30 years.