World Athletics plans standalone world marathon championships from 2030

World Athletics is reported to be planning a standalone World Marathon Championships from 2030, with Athens mentioned as the likely inaugural host.

BBC Sport reported the proposal on Tuesday, saying the new event would move the marathon out of the existing World Athletics Championships structure and into its own global championship. If confirmed, it would be a significant change to the sport’s calendar.

The report comes as World Athletics continues to reshape its championship programme. The governing body already has active host-selection processes for the 2028 and 2030 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships, and its public materials show new marathon and half-marathon races are being added to those events.

World Athletics has not publicly confirmed the standalone marathon championships in the materials reviewed, so the BBC report remains the clearest source for the specific 2030 plan and the Athens detail.

If the proposal is approved in full, the move would create a dedicated world title race for marathon runners and potentially give the distance a higher-profile championship stage outside the broader World Championships.