Mass Registration Opens for the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga
30 September 2022The inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships, which will take place on September 30th and October 1st, 2023, in Riga, will be the most significant public sporting and athletics event in the history of the Baltic countries.
This unique global running festival, which will crown the world mile, 5km and half marathon champions, will see tens of thousands of amateur runners from at least 100 countries competing alongside elite runners.
With 365 days to go, any recreational runner who is ready for a challenge can register for any of the official mass races of the World Championships in Riga and earn a unique medal from the World Athletics Road Running Championships.
World Athletics nominated the Rimi Riga marathon team and the Latvian Athletics Association to host the Championships in July of 2021. The organisers are certain that the Championships will promote athletics and public fitness, as well as become a significant base for Riga and Latvia’s international recognition. The Championships are supported by Riga City Council, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, and the Rimi Riga Marathon.
We aim to shape the first World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga as the ultimate road running experience for both the elite and recreational runners. The new format of the Championships will help our sport by showcasing the power of road running and mass participation, inspiring younger generations, and driving sports tourism. We expect a record international attendance and are very much looking forward to welcoming the fans of running to Riga, the capital of Latvia, in 2023.
Sebastian Coe
World Athletics President
The World Championships will feature not only the greatest running stars, but also amateur running enthusiasts from Latvia, the Baltics, and the world. Organisers are preparing to host up to 30,000 running tourists from at least 100 countries in Riga, and are also hoping for a very active Latvian participation in all mass races.
The fact that the new championship format allows any running enthusiast to earn a real World Championships medal seems almost unbelievable. In what other sport would this be possible? Only in running! That’s why the first World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga are a dream come true for the local organising committee — the Championships in this format will play a crucial role in popularising athletics and will give Riga a chance to shine on the world running stage, strengthening its reputation as a premier running destination
Aigars Nords
Head of the Organising Team of the World Athletics Road Running Championships Riga 23
Organisers have already launched an expansive campaign and slogan — “Riga: World Capital of Running” — in Riga’s most significant tourism markets to attract marathon tourists and ensure that first World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga in October attract a record number of overseas runners.
Registration for the World Road Running Championships in Riga
Hopefuls can register for the mass races in Riga in the mile, 5km and half marathon races from today through the official website: www.riga23.org. As usual, it will cost less for those who register early, while the participation fee will increase closer to the event.
A festive atmosphere will be created throughout the city with the involvement of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, which celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2023. The organisers of the Championships have collaborated successfully with the festival in the past, so, with the involvement of hundreds of choir singers and dancers, runners at the World Championships will once again be greeted by the Song and Dance Festival.
Logo launched for Championships
The logo for these World Championships has also been launched today and will maintain the format of World Athletics Series events.
The main part of the logo features two important symbols of Riga: the rooster from the top of St. Peter’s Church, representing the right side of the Daugava River; and the spire of the National Library, representing the left side of the Daugava. The Championship courses will also visit both banks of the river, represented in the unifying of the two iconic symbols from each Daugava bank.
World Athletics Series event identities usually include the host city combined with the year. RIGA 23 has been modelled on the iconic RĪGA city border sign. In this form, RIGA 23 has already started its journey around the world’s classic marathons, with the aim of attracting a record number of marathon tourists to Riga in 2023.
