[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 13, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S3280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, this is an exciting time for my home State 
of Oregon. The eyes of the sports world are turning to the city of 
Eugene, where thousands of elite athletes have arrived for the World 
Athletics Championships that start Friday.
  For those who may not have been paying attention, Eugene, OR, is 
known in track-and-field circles as TrackTown USA. Eugene has fewer 
than 200,000 residents, but it punches far above its weight as one of 
the athletic capitals of the world, particularly the newly rebuilt 
Hayward Field on campus at the University of Oregon.
  My view is, you are not going to find a better track-and-field venue 
anywhere else. And that is not only because it is where the Oregon 
Ducks routinely fly past the competition; it is the home of track and 
field in the United States dating back decades to when Bill Hayward 
first had his vision for the sports in Eugene.
  It is a vision that picked up speed when Oregon's own Steve 
Prefontaine provided drills for me when I was a law school student at 
the University of Oregon, as well as millions of running fans the world 
over. And, of course, Hayward Field has been home for Olympics trials 
in greatness, as well as dominance by my fellow Ducks in college meets.
  The legacy of athletics in Eugene is a big reason why it is the first 
ever American city to host the World Athletics Championships. This 
year, the games are known as Oregon22.
  Two thousand top Olympic-level athletes are going to compete. They 
come from nearly 200 countries. They are the best of the best, ready to 
break records and make their home countries proud.
  A little bit ago, I was home, and I talked with the fantastic team of 
workers who have been working for years on this event. It has been a 
colossal team effort carrying the baton over the line, but now, the 
games are about to start. And I can tell you an awful lot of Oregonians 
are thrilled at the prospect of witnessing this level of unique 
competition in person at Hayward Field and across the Willamette River 
in the streets of Springfield.
  This is also a spectacular showcase for my home State. Not only is 
Eugene playing host to thousands of athletes, organizers, staff, media, 
and fans, the games will be broadcast to an audience of a billion 
people around the world--let me repeat that--a billion people who are 
going to learn something about what makes my home State so special and 
different.
  London has hosted this competition. Paris has hosted this 
competition. Tokyo has hosted this competition. Now it is our turn in 
Eugene, OR, and I could not be more proud.
  So, Mr. President, I would just say everybody ought to tune in from 
July 15 to July 24. The athletes are going to put on an amazing show, 
and so is my home State of Oregon.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Padilla). The Senator from Ohio.

                          ____________________