THE future of the Olympic Stadium in London is secure after they won the rights to stage the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships. It will be the first time that Britain has hosted these championships since the concept began in Helsinki way back in 1983. Britain’s bid came out on top at a World Athletics gala dinner in Monte Carlo last Friday. It beat a strong bid from Doha, Qatar by 16 votes to 10. The prestigious event will be staged in the £496 million Olympic stadium, ensuring use for a glorious setting after next year’s Olympics.
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| DELEGATION: The 2017 team were successful in their bid |
Lord Coe, Denise Lewis and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson were all present at the announcement and reacted with delight and relief at the fact that another top sporting class event will be heading to these shores. Coe said; “We’ve got the Olympics in 2012, the world athletics championships in 2017 and world championships in virtually all other sports. It’s an extraordinary clean sweep for British sport.”
Back in London, David Cameron expressed his satisfaction at overcoming a strong Qatar bid, as the rich oil country was denied a second major sporting event after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup last December. “There is no better way to follow the Olympics and to build on its legacy, than by welcoming the world’s greatest athletes back to London for the 2017 World Championships.”
It will strengthen Britain’s armoury of hosting some of the biggest world events over the next decade. Wembley recently got the news that it will stage the 2013 UEFA Champions League final, after this year’s success. The Rugby World Cup in 2015, the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2019 Cricket World Cup will also be hosted in the UK. Sports minister Hugh Robertson had previously said that the Olympic Stadium would remain, despite the prospect of no sport being played after West Ham withdraw from a contentious plan to use the stadium for football after the Olympics in 2012. On Friday, Robertson’s theory was proven right and he said; “I am delighted that London has won the rights to hosts the IAAF 2017 World Athletics Championships. Our bid showed the passion that our nation has for athletics and this will leave a fantastic legacy for the sport.”
Despite being favourites going into the vote, there were no guarantees, especially with the money Qatar has at its disposal. On this occasion, tradition and legacy has won and rightly so. UK Athletics is on a crest of a wave and London will be brilliant hosts in 2017.
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