Inaugural team trophies announced for World Athletics Championships Oregon22

There's a new dawn for the World Athletics Championships.

The local organising committee (LOC) of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22, which is to take place from 15 to 24 July in Eugene, Oregon, USA, announced that the top three countries in the overall standings will be awarded with team trophies.

The standings are tallied as individual athletes score points for their country for top-eight finishes: Eight points go to the gold medallists and each subsequent placement is worth one point less, with a single point being awarded to the eighth-placed finisher.

At the conclusion of the competition and all 49 events, the country with the most points will be crowned athletics' inaugural World Team Champion. The nations that finish in second and third will also receive trophies.

First on U.S. soil

"We believe the introduction of a team dynamic will attract new fans and offer a compelling new narrative to the World Championships that will unfold over the 10 days of competition," Sasha Spencer, the Athlete & Team Experience Director for WCH Oregon22, said in a press release.

The 18th edition of the World Athletics Championships will take place in the United States for the first time, at the University of Oregon's re-imagined 30,000-capacity Hayward Field. The most recent edition took place in Doha from 27 September to 6 October 2019.

"I think what they’re bringing to the World Championships in Eugene is a pretty cool idea that a lot of countries will appreciate," two-time Olympic 400m gold medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo (pictured above) said in the press release.

"I think it’s going to keep a lot of the athletes’ energy high to not only see themselves on the podium, but to also see their country bring home a trophy at the end of the Championships."