At least two Australian state capitals had expressed interest in bidding for the 2007 event.
IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai has confirmed that the IAAF signed a memorandum of understanding with major broadcasting partner the European Broadcast Union, although he denied that any final decisions on hosts after the 2005 championships, to be held in Paris, had been made.
“There is an understanding between us that three of the world championships from 2003 to 2009 will be in Europe and Europe time,” Gyulai is quoted as saying. “The EBU is a very important broadcast partner, as it provides about 60 percent of our income, but the final decision is always taken by the IAAF council.”
Tokyo and Japan were believed to be frontrunners to host the 2007 or 2009 championships. Dentsu, IAAF's new marketing partner replacing the failed ISL, is headquartered in Japan, a factor which the IAAF said would add considerable weight to any Japanese bid.
Simon Allatson, Athletics Australia chief executive, said he was most disturbed by the “secrecy” of the agreement.
