World Athletics Championships

Floor Speech

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Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, this is an exciting time for my home State of Oregon. The eyes of the sports world are turning to the city of Eugene, where thousands of elite athletes have arrived for the World Athletics Championships that start Friday.

For those who may not have been paying attention, Eugene, OR, is known in track-and-field circles as TrackTown USA. Eugene has fewer than 200,000 residents, but it punches far above its weight as one of the athletic capitals of the world, particularly the newly rebuilt Hayward Field on campus at the University of Oregon.

My view is, you are not going to find a better track-and-field venue anywhere else. And that is not only because it is where the Oregon Ducks routinely fly past the competition; it is the home of track and field in the United States dating back decades to when Bill Hayward first had his vision for the sports in Eugene.

It is a vision that picked up speed when Oregon's own Steve Prefontaine provided drills for me when I was a law school student at the University of Oregon, as well as millions of running fans the world over. And, of course, Hayward Field has been home for Olympics trials in greatness, as well as dominance by my fellow Ducks in college meets.

The legacy of athletics in Eugene is a big reason why it is the first ever American city to host the World Athletics Championships. This year, the games are known as Oregon22.

Two thousand top Olympic-level athletes are going to compete. They come from nearly 200 countries. They are the best of the best, ready to break records and make their home countries proud.

A little bit ago, I was home, and I talked with the fantastic team of workers who have been working for years on this event. It has been a colossal team effort carrying the baton over the line, but now, the games are about to start. And I can tell you an awful lot of Oregonians are thrilled at the prospect of witnessing this level of unique competition in person at Hayward Field and across the Willamette River in the streets of Springfield.

This is also a spectacular showcase for my home State. Not only is Eugene playing host to thousands of athletes, organizers, staff, media, and fans, the games will be broadcast to an audience of a billion people around the world--let me repeat that--a billion people who are going to learn something about what makes my home State so special and different.

London has hosted this competition. Paris has hosted this competition. Tokyo has hosted this competition. Now it is our turn in Eugene, OR, and I could not be more proud.

So, Mr. President, I would just say everybody ought to tune in from July 15 to July 24. The athletes are going to put on an amazing show, and so is my home State of Oregon.

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