The World Athletics Indoor Championships are a biennial indoor track and field competition served as the global championship for that version of the sport. Organised by the World Athletics, the competition was inaugurated as the World Indoor Games in 1985 in Paris, France and were subsequently renamed to IAAF World Indoor Championships in 1987. The current name was adapted with the name change of the sports governing body in 2019.
They have been held every two years except for when they were held in consecutive years 2003 and 2004 to facilitate the need for them to be held in alternate years to the outdoor World Athletics Championships in the future, and in 2024, 2025, and 2026. The Championships due to be held in China in 2020 were postponed because of the COVID pandemic, as were the attempted running of the China edition in then 2021 and 2023, eventually being scheduled for 2025. Two standard editions of the Championships were held in 2022 and 2024.[1][2]
Events
The events held have been composed of a regular disciplines, with the main alterations coming in the earlier years. The 4x400m relay race for both men and women was added to the full schedule in 1991 with the women's triple jump, the latter as an exhibition event, and gaining full status at the following championships.
Racewalking events were dropped after 1993, and a 1600m medley relay was tried but was discontinued were due to alleged poor interest. This same year, a men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon were successfully introduced as non-championship events, and have remained on the program since.
In 1997 the women's pole vault entered the fray, two years before it made an appearance at the event's outdoor counterpart.
Despite the event's popularity, the 200m was removed from the program after the 2004 championships, as the event was deemed unfair to all participants and too predictable, with the tighter bends of an indoor track causing any athletes not drawn in either of the outside lanes having minimal or no chance of winning.
^[1]ANA was the name, under which Russian athletes competed in the 2018 Championships. Their medals were not included in the official medal table.[32]
All-time placing table
In the World Athleticsplacing table the total score is obtained from assigning eight points to the first place and so on to one point for the eight place. Points are shared in situations where a tie occurs.
^[2]Does not include results achieved by Authorized Neutral Athletes in 2018. ^[3]Includes results achieved by East Germany and West Germany between 1987 and 1989.
Multiple medallists
A total of 8 men and 19 women have won five or more medals at the competition.[34]
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France
East Germany 
United States
Soviet Union 
Hungary
Spain
Canada
Russia 
Russia 
Japan
Portugal
United Kingdom
Qatar
Turkey
Poland
Serbia
Ethiopia 
China
