World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26: attractions for fans beyond the stands
The World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 are not only three days of competition featuring the world’s best athletes at the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Arena Toruń. They also include a rich programme of accompanying events that will turn the entire region into a space for celebrating sport. Residents and visitors are invited to take part in concerts, exhibitions and performances that will build the atmosphere of the championships long before the starter’s gun fires.
In Toruń, the official fan zone will be located at Nowomiejski Market Square. From 20 to 22 March, it will host a sports, arts and education village – a space where the excitement from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Arena Toruń will move into the very heart of the city. The centrepiece of the zone will be an impressive main tent with a panoramic LED screen broadcasting all championship sessions. Professional production, bilingual hosting and high-quality sound will make cheering together even more enjoyable.
“From the very beginning we knew that not all athletics fans would fit into the arena stands. That is why we prepared many attractions to ensure this unique zone becomes a favourite meeting place for fans. It will combine sporting excitement, entertainment, cultural sensitivity and the hospitality of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie region,” says Marshal Piotr Całbecki.
The main tent will host an extensive artistic programme. On Saturday (21 March), the audience will see spectacular performances by Ocelot Theatre, combining acrobatics, ballet, music and mime. The stage will also host meetings with athletes and athletics legends, fan competitions and the opening and closing ceremonies of the fan village. A major musical highlight will be Saturday’s concert by Fukaj, one of the most exciting representatives of the young generation of Polish rap. The atmosphere throughout the three days will also be energised by world-class DJs.
The village – called Fan Spot – will above all focus on activity. In the Sport & Fun zone, visitors will be able to test their abilities in the long jump, high jump, an obstacle course and a reflex test. There will also be a mini Mondo running track with professional timing and starting blocks. One of the most spectacular attractions will be “Jump over Duplantis” – bungee trampolines that allow participants to symbolically challenge the heights achieved by pole vault champions.
“This zone will undoubtedly be one of the biggest hits of the championships,” says Adam Kszczot, a multiple medallist at world, European and Polish championships in the 800 metres. “It is certainly a very important moment for athletics in Poland. Hosting the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 – also thanks to initiatives like this – can significantly contribute to popularising the queen of sports.”
The zone will also feature modern technologies: a VR athletics experience, PlayStation stations, an AI photo booth that transforms visitors into medal winners, and a collective fan mosaic created from visitors’ photos. Younger guests will find their own space in the children’s corner, while the championship mascot Goosia the goose will roam the area.
“An important element will also be the educational zone ‘Discover the Discipline’, where fans will see professional shot puts, hurdles and starting blocks up close, and learn about the history of Polish athletics through a special exhibition. The programme will be complemented by stands promoting sustainable development and local producers,” adds the head of the region.
The countdown initiative “50 Relays of Kujawy and Pomorze” is currently underway. Its official finale will also mark the start of the championships – on 20 March a parade will march from the Fan Spot to the Old Town Market Square. The day will conclude with an open-air concert featuring, among others, Dawid Kwiatkowski, during which the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26 will be symbolically opened. The global event is hosted by the self-government of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship.
Cultural programme
The championships will also be accompanied by cultural events. On Monday (9 March) at the Pomeranian Philharmonic in Bydgoszcz and on Tuesday (10 March) at CKK Jordanki in Toruń, the concert “We Are the Champions” will feature the greatest anthems of sports arenas in new arrangements. The repertoire will include hits such as “We Are the Champions” by Queen, “The Best” by Tina Turner, as well as classics by Elton John and Frank Sinatra. Leading Polish artists will perform on stage, including Natalia Kukulska, Sławek Uniatowski and Kasia Moś, giving the well-known songs a new character.
Until 22 March, athletics will also take over Toruń Plaza shopping centre. An exhibition prepared by the Museum of World Athletics will take visitors on a journey through the history of world records and great champions. Among the artefacts are the spikes of the legendary Irena Szewińska, one of the greatest figures in the history of global sprinting, and the shoes of Robert Korzeniowski, a four-time Olympic champion in race walking.
Visitors will also find interactive installations, including visualisations of world records in the high jump and pole vault, as well as a shot put zone. Admission to the exhibition is free, and its finale will be a ceremony with representatives of the global athletics federation.
Another event in the accompanying programme will be a theatre performance at the Baj Pomorski Theatre in Toruń. The play “Jenner: Becoming Yourself” tells a moving story about the road to sporting success and the struggle for personal identity, inspired by the story of Olympic champion and world record holder Bruce Jenner.
World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 26
20–22 March 2026
Kujawsko-Pomorskie Arena Toruń
- mascot: Goosia the goose
- more than 500 athletes from over 120 national teams
- 27 events
- 500 volunteers
- 85 referees of the Polish Athletic Association
Ambassador: Adrianna Sułek-Schubert – heptathlete, multiple world and European medallist
Ambassador: Piotr Lisek – multiple world and European pole vault medallist
Ambassador: Paweł Wojciechowski – pole vaulter, world and European championships medallist
Press Office of the Marshal’s Office
and the Polish Athletic Association
5 March 2026