The World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 will welcome the world’s best sprinters on May 10-11 as teams compete for relay race places at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
The city of Guangzhou hosts the seventh edition of the World Athletics Relays. It is the first time the event has been held in China, after previous editions in the Bahamas, Japan and Poland.
Which events are contested at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25?
The programme for the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 includes six events:
Women’s 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay
Men’s 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay
Mixed 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay
The mixed 4x100m relay is being contested on the global stage for the first time in Guangzhou.
One team per federation can compete in each event and a maximum of eight athletes can be entered for each event, noting that any four athletes among those entered for the World Relays may then be used in the composition of each team.
More information about the relays and rules can be found on the specific discipline pages for the 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay.
Will teams win prize money?
The top eight teams in each event will be awarded the following prize money:
TEAM
| Position | Women’s 4x100m and 4x400m, men’s 4x100m and 4x400m, mixed 4x400m | Mixed 4x100m |
| 1st | US$40,000 | US$ 28,000 |
| 2nd | US$20,000 | US$14,000 |
| 3rd | US$10,000 | US$6000 |
| 4th | US$8000 | US$5000 |
| 5th | US$6000 | US$4000 |
| 6th | US$4000 | US$3000 |
| 7th | US$3000 | US$2000 |
| 8th | US$2000 | US$2000 |
World Athletics Championships 2025 qualification
How to qualify for the World Athletics Championships: The top 14 teams in each of the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m, plus the mixed 4x400m relay, will secure their place at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September.
The remaining two places in each event will be awarded based on top lists during the qualification period (25 February 2024 to 24 August 2025).
World Championships places are up for grabs on both days of action in Guangzhou. On the first day, the top two teams in each of the four heats will advance to the final on day two, while also securing their qualification for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
In the finals on day two, teams will compete for prize money and obtain preferential World Championships lane seeding positions.
All other teams will compete on day two in the additional round where the top two teams in each of the three heats will also qualify for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25.
Mixed 4x100m relay
The mixed 4x100m relay will make its global debut at the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25.
The running order in Guangzhou will be woman, woman, man, man. Records for the 4x100m mixed relay will be recognised as of 1 January 2026 (with the inaugural performance to better the recognised world best performance as of the end of 2025).
As well as forming part of the race programme for the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, the mixed 4x100m relay will be contested at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest in 2026.
How can I watch the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25?
The World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 will be streamed live in a number of territories on the World Athletics website, as well as via broadcasters around the world.
Keep an eye on the dedicated World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 website, where TV information will be available ahead of the event.
There will be coverage of both days of competition, starting with the heats on 10 May, through to the finals on 11 May.
Fans will also be able to follow the action via the World Athletics live results platform, which will offer an enhanced experience. Sign up for free and log in to access even more data including detailed results, race splits and other real-time updates.
Register now so you are ready to follow as soon as the competition starts.
How do I buy tickets?
Check out the WRE Guangzhou 25 ticketing website. For an optimal experience, fans are advised to use desktop rather than a mobile device to navigate the ticketing website.
What time will the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 take place each day?
The time zone in China is China Standard Time (CST), which is 8 hours ahead of UTC.
When fans view the World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25 timetable via the World Athletics website, the times will be displayed in local Guangzhou time as well as the time in the fan’s current location.
SOURCE: WORLD ATHLETICS
