[15] José María Odriozola, the president of the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation, said that the worst bid had won the vote and "the only thing they have there is money".

In 2019 The Guardian reported documents showing an agreement to pay US$4.5 million to Sporting Age, a Singapore-based company linked to Papa Massata Diack, in order to transfer the value of World Championships ticket sales and sponsorship to Qatari officials.

[18] A French judge opened investigations into Dentsu and Athletics Management & Services in 2019, on the basis that the companies (which had been involved in the host evaluation) had played key roles in the diversion of funds to Papa Massata Diack.

Marathon fifth-placer Volha Mazuronak said organisers were disrespectful to athletes to make them compete in the conditions, and 50 km walk world champion Yohann Diniz was unhappy that the road events had not been located in the air-conditioned stadium instead.

Ridgeon suggested that sessions were organised late in the evening for European television audiences, which meant working Qataris had gone home before the last event finals had begun (around 11 pm local time).

[25] The issue of human rights in Qatar was also raised as over 6,000 migrant labourers, some involved in construction and cleaning of the host stadium, had lodged complaints over unpaid wages against Qatari companies.

[27] The decision to hold the World Athletics Championships in the Middle East presented organisational challenges due to the hot and humid climate in Doha in September and October.

The IAAF agreed to only show Block Cam images of athletes immediately prior to the starting pistol and to delete video data at other times on a daily basis.

[33] The stadium also features an advanced lighting system, which was used in the introductions of some event finals, projecting coloured lines on to the lane boundaries and the competing athlete's names moving around the 400 m track.

Returning to form, Canada's Andre De Grasse closed and nearly caught Gatlin at the line in 9.90, a new wind-legal personal best, though he has run as fast as 9.69 wind-aided.

By the half-way point, the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan had latched on to back of the lead pack, headed by Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru and Agnes Tirop.

Joe Kovacs won with 22.91, silver went to Ryan Crouser with 22.90(22.71), and Tom Walsh took bronze with 22.90(22.56).With world record holder and defending champion Anita Włodarczyk absent from the women's hammer throw due to injury,[59] world leader DeAnna Price seized the opportunity on the second throw of the competition with 76.87 m (252 ft 2 in), then a best of 77.54 m (254 ft 4 in) in the third round – no athlete could match her.

[64] One final was contested on the first day: Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich won the women's marathon in 2:32:43, beating the defending champion Rose Chelimo of Bahrain in the first ever World Championships race to start at midnight.

[65] Braima Sundar Dabo of Guinea Bissau won plaudits for assisting competitor Jonathan Busby of Aruba to the finish of the men's 5000 m heats.

DeAnna Price became the first American to win the women's hammer throw while Tajay Gayle became Jamaica's first men's long jump world champion, surprising the field by adding 37 centimetres to his personal best and improving to tenth on the all-time lists.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won her fourth world title in the women's 100 m, recording her second fastest time ever (10.71) to hold off the British record-breaking Dina Asher-Smith.

In the, Christian Taylor also won a fourth title in the men's triple jump, with compatriot Will Claye finishing runner-up as he had in 2017, and Hugues Fabrice Zango winning Burkina Faso's first ever World Championships medal in third.

Liu Hong was the last winner of the day, taking her third World Championships gold in the women's 20 km walk, where Qieyang Shenjie and Yang Liujing helped make it a medal sweep for the Chinese team.

Mariya Lasitskene defended her title in the women's high jump, winning on countback ahead of Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who set a world under-20 record of 2.04 m (6 ft 8+1⁄4 in).

Sprint finishes from Muktar Edris and Selemon Barega made it an Ethiopian 1–2 in the men's 5000 metres final, where the early leader Jakob Ingebrigtsen collapsed over the line and missed a medal.

China's Gong Lijiao defended her women's shot put title, reaching the podium for a sixth straight championships, while silver medallist Danniel Thomas-Dodd made history as Jamaica's first woman to win a global medal in the throws.

[90] Lelisa Desisa and Mosinet Geremew made it a 1–2 for Ethiopia in the late-night men's marathon, held in easier weather conditions than the women's race.

Malaika Mihambo of Germany won a clear gold in the women's long jump final by producing the twelfth best ever performance of 7.30 m (23 ft 11+1⁄4 in).

Nia Ali of the United States surprised in the women's 100 metres hurdles final by winning gold in 12.34 seconds, making herself the ninth fastest of all-time and pushing the more favoured Danielle Williams and Kendra Harrison into the minor medals.

[97] Allyson Felix became the most decorated athlete in World Championships, reaching a career total of 13 gold medals through wins in the women's and the mixed 4 × 400 metres relays.

Caster Semenya, Francine Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui all acknowledged they had a difference in sex development (DSD) which resulted in their bodies producing levels of testosterone above the limits set by the IAAF for women's competition.

[128] Kenyan athletes, 800 m national champion Jackline Wambui and Linda Kageha, who was in the mixed relay team, were excluded from selection for Kenya as they refused to submit to a testosterone test.

[133] At the host venue, around 700 athletes' blood samples were collected as part of the biological passport scheme designed to identify the use of steroids, EPO or human growth hormone.

[132] The Russian Athletics Federation was excluded from the World Championships for a second time running as it remained suspended by the IAAF due to systemic doping.

[134][135] Although not nationally suspended, Kenya came under scrutiny for a culture of doping, with Brett Clothier of the Athletics Integrity Unit stating that "EPO is readily available and everyone knows where to get it and how to use it" in a documentary released by German broadcaster ZDF shortly before the World Championships.