London enters World Athletics show fray following West Ham deal

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London (UK) has submitted its bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships after reaching an agreement with the English Football League (EFL) Championship team West Ham United F.C. to allow it to host the event that September.

The World Athletics is scheduled to announce the host city after the Ultimate Championships in Budapest (Hungary) in September.

‘The Guardian’ stated that the World Athletics is yet to announce the other candidate cities but Rome (Italy), Munich (Germany) and Nairobi (Kenya) have also submitted applications for 2029.

The 2029 World Athletics Championships is an upcoming global track and field competition scheduled for September 2029.

Preston (UK)-based the English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales (UK). Founded in 1888 as the Football League it is the oldest football league in the world and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992 when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League, the highest division of the English football league system. The Football League was rebranded as the ‘English Football League’ (EFL) starting with the 2016-2017 seasons.

The West Ham United Football Club is a professional football club based in Stratford, East London, England (UK). The club will compete in the EFL Championship (the second-highest division in English football sitting directly below the Premier League) in the 2026-2027 seasons following relegation from the Premier League.

The 62,500-seat London Stadium is a multipurpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford district of London (UK). It serves as the home facility of the West Ham United F.C.

Monaco-based World Athletics (WA), formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and the International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international governing body for the sport of athletics covering track and field, cross country running, road running, race walking, mountain running, and ultra running.
 

Impasse Broken

‘The Guardian’ further stated that the West Ham United F.C. had threatened to thwart London’s bid arguing they had priority for the London Stadium during the football season. However, the impasse has been broken after lengthy discussions with the London Mayor’s office, the Athletics Ventures, the joint organization responsible for putting on major events, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

If London is successful the West Ham United F.C. will play no more than two consecutive away games in the Premier League or three in the EFL in the 2029-2030 seasons.
 

Olympic Legacy Plans

Maintained Jack Buckner, Head Honcho, UK Athletics and Co-Founder, Athletics Ventures, “Bidding to hold the World Athletics Championships in the London Stadium, the showpiece of London 2012, was always at the center of the United Kingdom’s Olympic legacy plans. We’re delighted that we have reached an agreement with the London Stadium and the West Ham United for the use of the London Stadium and our sincere thanks for their commitment in making this happen.”
 

Driving Economic-Social Benefits

Added Hugh Brasher, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of London Marathon Events and Co-Founder of Athletics Ventures, “Our bid is not just about what happens within the London Stadium. Sport has the power to bring communities together, to change lives and to inspire the next generation. The 2029 World Athletics Championships in London would drive more than £400m in economic and social benefit in the capital and nationwide.”
 

Sporting Capital

A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, also welcomed the news, “London is the sporting capital of the world and the Mayor believes that hosting the World Athletics Championships at the London Stadium in 2029 would build on the city’s long history of hosting the most prestigious sporting events.”

The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a new biennial track and field event. Its inaugural edition will take place from September 11^th-13^th, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary.

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