Which city hosted the first World Athletics Championships in 1983? Helsinki hosted them.
The inaugural World Championships in Athletics took place at Helsinki Olympic Stadium in Finland from 7 to 14 August 1983. The competition was organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations, now known as World Athletics, and brought together athletes from 153 nations.
Helsinki was selected after competing against Stuttgart, West Germany, in the bidding process. The event is generally regarded as the first full World Athletics Championships, although earlier IAAF championships in 1976 and 1980 featured only individual events that were absent from those Olympic programs.
A common mix-up is Rome: Rome hosted the 1987 championships, not the inaugural edition. The 1983 meet featured 41 events and included notable performances such as Carl Lewis winning the 100 metres and long jump, while Sergey Bubka began his run of six consecutive world pole-vault titles.