World indoor championships

The International Association of Athletics Federations World Indoor Championships were inaugurated as the World Indoor Games in 1985 in Paris, France and were subsequently renamed in 1987 as they are known today.

They have been held every two years except for when they were held in consecutive years 2003 and 2004 to facilitate the need for them to be held in alternate years to the main IAAF World Championships (outdoors) in the future.

The events held have remained more or less the same since they originated with the main alterations coming in the earlier years.

The 4 x 400 m relay race for both men and women was added to the full schedule in 1991 as was the women's triple jump, but only as an exhibition event before gaining full status at the following championships.

1993 saw the last of the racewalking events included and a 1600 m medley relay was tried but dropped for future games. This same year a men's heptathlon and women's pentathlon were successfully introduced as non-championship events and have remained in place since.

In 1997 the women's pole vault entered the fray – two years before it made an appearance at the games' outdoor counterpart.

The 200 m has been absent since the 2006 championships in Moscow, as it was deemed unfair. Its results had become too predictable. Because of the tight bends involved, athletes not drawn in one of the outside lanes had next to no chance of winning.

Mozambique's Maria de Lurdes Mutola won seven gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the women's 800 m from 1993 to 2008.

Natalya Nazarova has won seven gold and one silver medal from 1999 to 2008 in the 400 m and 4 × 400 m relay.

Cuban Iván Pedroso won five straight golds in the men's long jump from 1993–2001.
Stefka Kostadinova of Bulgaria won five gold medals in the women's high jump.

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