[1] When the seeking deadline passed on 1 September 2011, two candidate cities (London and Doha) had confirmed their candidatures.

[2] Barcelona, which investigated a bid, withdrew citing a lack of support from the local population and financial difficulties.

[17] The qualification period for the 10,000 metres, marathon, race walks, relays, and combined events runs from 1 January 2016 to 23 July 2017.

[20] *   Host nation Below is the list of countries and other neutral groupings who participated in the championships and the requested number of athlete places for each.

Russia is currently indefinitely suspended from international competition due to a doping scandal, and will therefore not be present at the Championships.

A total of five athletes – all of them Kenya-based refugees – were entered as part of the Athlete Refugee Team, including Somalian Ahmed Bashir Farah, Ethiopian Kadar Omar Abdullahi, and South Sudanese middle-distance runners Dominic Lokinyomo Lobalu, Rose Lokonyen and Anjelina Lohalith.

A total of 1513 samples were collected at the competition and were sent to Ghent for analysis by a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory .

The blood samples were divided into two forms – 725 were taken to feed into the long-term athlete biological passport initiative and 192 were taken specifically to identify use of human growth hormone and erythropoiesis stimulating agents.

[30] Two of Ukraine's foremost athletes, Olesya Povkh and Olha Zemlyak, were suspended for failed doping tests immediately before the championships in London.