Cam Mitchell: Athletics NZ CEO on their potential World Indoor Championship bid for 2028

There’s optimism from within Athletics New Zealand that hosting the World Indoor Athletics Championships isn't beyond the realms of possibility. 

The sport's governing body, with support of the government, are working on a bid to bring the event to our shores in March 2028, prior to the Los Angeles Olympics. 

The biennial event has never been held in Oceania since its inception in 1985. 

Athletics NZ CEO Cam Mitchell told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they’re quietly confident. 

He said that it’s something they have as an aspiration, and there’s also a massive novelty factor they think people would get behind and support. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here's something potentially very cool on the horizon. Turns out
that our work is underway to try to bring the
World Athletic Indoor Championships here in four years time, and
that will be happening just as we expect New Zealand's
interest to pick up after the success of Hamish Kern
all those guys over at the Olympics with us now
as Athletics New Zealand CEO. Cam, that's your morning.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Can morning, Heather?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
You reckon? This is going to happen.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Oh look, we're going to give it a go for sure.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
How do you rate your chances? I want it to
be high, Cam, I'm asking you this for a reason.
I want this thing to happen.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Oh look, we're quietly confident. I mean, like anything like this,
there's big numbers involved, so we've got to do the work.
We're just about to embark on a fees of Beilieve
study to understand, you know, whether it's possible or not
that we can actually put a bit forward. But it's
something that we have as an aspiration of ours to
bring major events like this for athletics to our shorts.
It's an event that we don't typically see in our country,

(00:55):
so you know, there's a massive novelty factor there that
we think people will get them behind and support it.
It's a pretty all event. It's three days, it's the
best athletes in the world competing on what's called a
short track. So whilst it's called the World Indoors Wood
Athletics and twenty three changed the rules so it could
actually be a short track, which is a two hundred
meter track and can be in an outdoor venue. So

(01:17):
that makes it, I guess possible for countries like ours
that don't necessarily have massive indoor facilities. Now we could
essentially put a two hundred meter track inside Eden Park
or a facility like that and run a pretty cool
athletics event.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Well fantastic, So it's pretty easy for us to be
able to do. Were you were you at that meeting
between christ Bishop and zeb COO in Paris.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Look, we're around, you know, we're obviously spending a lot
of time with Word Athletics, ourselves up there and making
sure that that we were there aware of our aspiration
and ensuring that I guess New Zealand's able to build
those important relationships required to deliver events.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Like this and so are you getting a sense that
this is actually a real thing, that that zib CO
is seriously considering.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Us A bit in process at World Athletics obviously run through,
so you know, I think it's a favorable thing. Oceania
don't have a lot of these types of events. So
World Athletics is a truly global governing body with two
hundred and fourteen nations involved. You know, want to be
able to take their events around the globe, and Oceania

(02:18):
as an area doesn't typically hold a lot of these events.
So there's a process that we need to work through
with them. And similarly, there's a process with government through
the Major Events Fund that we need to work through.
It's a contestable fund, but what we want to be
able to do is ensure that everyone's aware of the
opportunity and that, as I said, we can sort of
put our best foot forward.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
Yeah, well, good luck with it.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Cam.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
I'm really into it, Cam Mitchell Athletics using I'm into
it because I reckon, Can I tell you I reckon
that these kinds of things don't sound that exciting until
they're happening, like the fief of Women's World Cup, and
then it's just such a good time For more from
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