Oregon22, the World Track and Field Championships, wrapped up this past weekend and was by most measures a tremendous success. Athletes from around the globe competed, world, Championship and national records were broken and large crowds of spectators witnessed some truly incredible performances. Hayward Field and Eugene were presented in their best lights. In a report generated several years ago, the event was estimated to generate about $200 million in local economic impact. Potential traffic problems never materialized. Because the Meet was televised worldwide, visibility of the Eugene area and Oregon in general was dramatically increased.
The US team had a better Worlds than were perhaps expected, winning 13 Gold Medals and 33 Medals overall, the best result among the participants.