Women's 50km race walk added to London 2017 to ensure gender equality

Sebastian Coe, IAAF's President, addresses a news conference ahead of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Under-18 world athletics championships in Nairobi, Kenya July 11, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

(Reuters) - A women's 50km race walk will feature at the London 2017 world athletics championships for the first time in order to ensure gender equality, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said on Sunday.

Previously, women only competed in a 20km race walk in the competition and the Olympic Games, while men competed over the same distance and in a 50km event. The women's 50km race walk was only recognised by the IAAF as an official event from January of this year.