American track and field fans woke up to an unexpected, pleasant surprise on Thursday. Track's world governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations, in an impromptu landslide vote, awarded the 2021 IAAF World Outdoor Championships to Eugene, Oregon, according to the IAAF.org.
Almost as surprising as the announcement itself was its unusual path of accomplishment—bypassing the bidding process entirely with a special secret vote. Needless to say, protest broke out immediately, especially from representatives of Goteborg, Sweden, who had been preparing a bid.
However, the news brought a measure of redemption to TrackTown USA, the bidding agency that led the fight in a close, losing battle last November with Doha, Qatar, for the hosting rights to the 2019 Worlds.