This audio is generated by AI, so pronunciation and expressions may not be fully accurate. The narration is only in English.
Dating back to 1983, when its first iteration was held in Helsinki, Finland, the September 2025 World Athletics Championships was the event's 20th edition. This also marked the second time that the championships took place in Tokyo, with the first being in 1991.
The 2025 event involved a three-pronged vision that consisted of the Tokyo Brand, Tokyo Dream and Tokyo Model. The third of these, the Tokyo Model, aimed to set a new global standard for sustainability in international sports competitions.
Shouji Naoki, Manager of Sustainability for the championship's local organizing committee, explained that a sustainability plan was unveiled this past April, and was implemented via a collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), as well as event sponsors.
Among the ideas conceptualized within the plan was an initiative to collect used cooking oil from households, to then be repurposed into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in order to help reduce the CO2 levels associated with travel by competition-related individuals. Launched as a collaboration with the TMG, the designated campaign period is May 2 through October 31, 2025, and it also received feature publicity by Kitaguchi Haruka, the 2023 world-champion javelin thrower and the athlete ambassador of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
With donations of the used cooking oil being accepted at around 80 locations throughout the metropolis. The TMG also devised special methods for collecting the oil. Since it would be too difficult to transfer the oil directly from the frying pan into plastic bottles, funnel-like items known as jogo were distributed in Meiji Park at the booths of the TMG and the Tokyo 25 local organizing committee during the event period in order to aid in the oil collection. Crafted by the TMG, jogo were commonly-used items during the Edo period (1603-1868). Today, their use in repurposing cooking oil for airplane fuel—instead of simply discarding it after use—reflects the same type of sustainability that was practiced as part of Edo-period culture.
Shouji also noted that the plastic bottles were slated to be recycled into new materials by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (World Athletics Supporter). And although sports competitions regulations at competitions including the Paris 2024 Olympics Games did not allow spectators to bring plastic bottles into event venues, the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 permitted people to bring their own drinks in to the venue (inside plastic bottles or other containers) in order to encourage adequate hydration amidst the ongoing warm September temperatures.
According to the local event organizing committee, a Heatstroke Prevention Measures Guide Map was drawn up in collaboration with the TMG as an additional method for dealing with hot temperatures. Indicating the locations of amenities such as water dispensers, vending machines, cool-down spots and special misting areas, copies of the map were made available throughout the event venue, as well as online via the competition website.
Additional methods that were taken to proactively address the hot temperatures included "misting crews", wherein individuals circulated throughout the venue spraying cooling mist; athlete tents that were equipped with sunlight-reflecting material in order to lower temperatures inside; water generators that were used in misting applications to extract and purify water from atmospheric moisture; and wearable devices utilized by those assisting with the competition operation, which were designed to issue an alert when the wearer was at risk of contracting heatstroke.
"The Athletes for a Better World Standard document was drawn up last year, by World Athletics, so this was the first time that competition evaluations were made in this regard," Shouji continued. "It encompasses a total of 120 points, and with our sustainability plan, our goal was to achieve a platinum rating—the highest possible level."
In terms of the event's diversity-related initiatives, the local organizing committee pointed toward its focus on youth-centered programming as part of its effort to encourage people to realize their hopes and dreams. Specifically speaking, this involved encouraging children to become inspired by watching track and field events, and participating in sports.
Through the Kids Athletics program of the World Athletics organization, youth were entrusted with various tasks such as participating in medal ceremonies, serving as athlete escorts, and interviewing athletes through the Kids Reporter program—the latter of which took place in Japan in cooperation with the TMG.
These programs were implemented as a result of ideas submitted during the August 2024 youth workshop.
"Our hopes were also that young people would become inspired by the cutting-edge environmental technologies utilized throughout the competition," Shouji added.
"Our goal was to showcase these innovative technologies to the world."
