A record 14 World Athletics Heritage Plaques awarded in 2025 World – World Athletics

Dear Friends and WA Heritage Plaque Recipient Locations, We are delighted to confirm that 2025 has been a record year with 14 plaques awarded across four categories to recipients in nine countries, in four continents.

The last of these was the plaque bestowed upon The Great Ethiopian Run just over a week ago in the National Museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

114 plaques worldwide

Since World Athletics President Sebastian Coe announced the creation of the World Athletics Heritage Plaque in December 2018, a total of 114 plaques have been awarded worldwide and, of these, around 90 are on permanent public display.

One of most recent plaques unveiled was in Manaus, Brazil, on 21 October, where the plaque awarded in December 2021 to the Galeria Olimpica RGM (est. 1989), the sports museum dedicated to the Olympic collection of Roberto Gesta de Melo, was publicly displayed.

The ceremony was attended by four Brazilian Olympic medallists from four different sports: Lars Grael (bronze in Seoul 1988 and bronze Atlanta 1996 – yachting), Maria Paula Gonçalves da Silva „Magic Paula“ (silver in Atlanta 1996 – basketball), André Heller (gold in Athens 2004 and silver in Beijing 2008 – volleyball), and Sandro Viana (bronze in Beijing 2008 – 4x100m Athletics).

The athletes were joined by Paulo Maciel, President of the Brazilian Clubs Committee; Wlamir Motta Campos, President of the Brazilian Athletics Confederation, Helio Gesta de Melo, President of the South American Athletics Confederation, and Roberto Gesta de Melo, founder of the Galeria Olímpica RGM.

World Athletics Heritage congratulates the 14 recipients of the plaque in 2025

BoClassic, Italy

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/boclassic

Cross Cup de Hannut, Belgium 

Category: Competition – 24 January 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/cross-cup-de-hannut

Stramilano Half Marathon, Italy

Category: Competition – 11 March 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/stramilano-half-marathon

The Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, USA

Category: Competition – 24 March 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/the-clyde-littlefield-texas-relays

Atletika, Czechia

Category: Culture – 26 April 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/atletika

English Schools’ Athletic Association, GBR

Category: Competition – 16 May 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/english-schools-athletic-association

The Varsity Match, GBR

Category: Competition – 17 May 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/the-varsity-match

Cambridge University Athletic Club, GBR

Category: Competition – 17 May 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/cambridge-university-athletic-club

Boris Hanzekovic Memorial, Croatia

Category: Competition – 25 May 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/boris-hanzekovic-memorial

Tokyo, Japan

Category: City – 6 July 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/tokyo

Trento Giro al Sas International, Italy

Category: Competition – 27 September 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/trento-giro-al-sas-international

Sports History Forum, Berlin, Germany

Category: Culture – 30 September 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/sports-history-forum-berlin

Fred Lebow, ROU / USA

Category: Legend – 31 October 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/fred-lebow

Great Ethiopian Run, Ethiopia

Category: Competition – 20 November 2025

https://worldathletics.org/heritage/plaque/list/great-ethiopian-run

Kind regards,
CHRIS TURNER
Director
Heritage Department & curator of the Museum of World Athletics (MOWA)
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M: +33 6 78 63 07 91

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