Cycle messengers from up to 200 cities and 40 countries and fellow cyclists will gather at the CMWC 2023 Yokohama

In (mostly big) cities around the world, cycle messengers have provided the quickest courier services, carrying various items on their bikes. The CMWCs (Cycle Messenger World Championships) are a series of festive events cycle messengers have held annually since 1993, in the city chosen from each year's candidates.

An annual World Championships series for cycle messengers and one big (almost) week-long festival for cyclists, the CMWCs welcome everyone, connecting people, things and experiences, and sharing what we love about cycling and our city, through races, art exhibits, markets, parties and more.

In Japan, Tokyo hosted the first CMWCs in Asia in 2009, when cycle courier as well as cycling as a whole was booming. The main delivery races in Odaiba and a variety of other events and parties around Tokyo turned out to be a great success, attracting roughly 10,000 people overall.

At the CMWCs in Riga, Latvia in 2018 and Jakarta, Indonesia in 2019, Yokohama has bid to become the second Japanese city to host the events, and won the place for 2021.

Last year, after the 2-year postponement of CMWC due to the COVID pandemic, a messenger from Yokohama based Courio-City, 'Chikappa', won the world championship in the delivery race at CMWC 2022 NYC. This year, six years after applying for the bid, the home of the defending champion will finally hold CMWC 2023.