IAAF President Sebastian Coe congratulates Valencia after they were awarded the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships ©IAAF

Tampere in Finland and Valencia in Spain have been awarded the World Under-20 Championships and World Half Marathon Championships in 2018 by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), it was announced here today.

Choosing host cities for the events were among the key decisions on the opening day of the IAAF Council meeting here. 

Tampere was the only bidder for the Under-20 Championships, an event previously known as the World Junior Championships. 

Valencia was chosen ahead of Sopot, the Polish city which hosted the 2014 IAAF World Championships. 

“I am delighted to congratulate Tampere and Valencia," IAAF President Sebastian Coe said.

"They each delivered impressive presentations and documents befitting the IAAF World Athletics Series and we are assured of successful competitions in two years’ time.

“I also thank Sopot for its candidature.

"As a previous host of the World Indoor Championships, it came as no surprise that their bid was high class, but as in all athletics competitions there can only be one winner.”

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IAAF President Sebastian Coe congratulates Tampere's Deputy Mayor Anna-Kaisa Heinamaki after they were awarded the 2018 World Under-20 Championshps ©IAAF

Finland's capital Helsinki has twice staged the IAAF World Championships - the inaugural event in 1983 and then in 2005 when it stepped into replace London - but this will be the first time the country has played host to an age-group IAAF championship event.

“Of course we are happy and proud," Tampere's Deputy Mayor Anna-Kaisa Heinamaki said.

"Organising major events is part of our strategy to develop our city area and to provide healthier life from the babies to the elderly.

"It is also a great opportunity for us to invest in sport venues and sport clubs.

"Organising major events is a great way to combine everyday life exercising and elite sport.”

It will be the third major IAAF event hosted by Valencia.

They staged the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2008 and the IAAF World Race Walking Race Cup in 1981.

It will be the second time Spain has hosted the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, following Palma de Mallorca, who staged it in 1996. 

"We are extremely proud to have won this bid and to represent Valencia, a city of road runners," said Valencia's Bid Committee President Paco Borao.

"This is a project which brings together public institutions, sports institutions, athletics clubs such as the Correcamino Club of which I am President and the public society represented by the Foundation Trinidad Alfonso."

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