Two Four Six Sports to helm athletics show

Article posted by Coliseum, May 23^rd, 2023

Image: Alexander Stadium, Stephen - Itsyourbuild, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Two Four Six Sports have been appointed to initiate the delivery of the European Athletics Championships 2026.

‘Birmingham City Council’ stated that Stephen Brown, as the Founder of Two Four Six Sports, will now deliver those services in his position as the Interim Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Championships. Brown has enjoyed a wide-ranging career in the sports industry working in both football and rugby league.

The 27^th European Athletics Championships will be held from August 10^th-16^th, 2026 at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The dates are to be confirmed.

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The European Athletics Championships is a biennial athletics event organized by the European Athletics Association and is recognized as the elite continental outdoor athletics championships for Europe.

‘Birmingham City Council’ further stated that Birmingham was announced as host of Europe’s most prestigious athletics competition following a successful bid process with the UK Athletics in November 2022 – the first time the United Kingdom has ever hosted the European Athletics Championships.

The UK Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the United Kingdom as well as athletes, their development and athletics officials.

Brown previously served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 and was instrumental in the delivery of the first-ever staging of simultaneous men, women and wheelchair games at a Rugby League World Cup. The event was acclaimed for its successful social impact program, commitment to inclusion, broadcast and commercial partnerships and was recently nominated for three awards at the 2023 Sports Industry Awards.

The 18,000-capacity Alexander Stadium is a track and field athletics stadium in Perry Park, Birmingham, England (UK). It hosted the athletics and opening/closing ceremonies of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Speaking on the appointment Brown said, “I am delighted that the Two Four Six Sports has been contracted for this exciting opportunity and I will fulfill the role of the Interim Chief Operating Officer for the European Athletics Championships in 2026. I am very grateful to the Birmingham City Council, UK Athletics and UK Sport for giving me this opportunity and putting their trust in me. I am enthusiastic to be able to learn and work in a new sport in what is an exciting time for mega events in the UK and Birmingham and I look forward to building on the recent success of the Commonwealth Games.”

London (UK)-based the UK Sport is the Government agency responsible for investing in Olympic and Paralympic sport in the United Kingdom. It is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multisport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England (UK) between July 28th and August 8^th, 2022.

The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league tournament contested by the top national men’s representative teams. The tournament is administered by the International Rugby League and was first held in France in 1954, which was the first World Cup held for any form of rugby football.

Said Councilor Ian Ward, Leader of the Birmingham City Council, “For a major international sporting event like this, it’s essential we have someone of Stephen’s caliber on board. He played a crucial role in the success of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup and he knows exactly what needs to be done. I’m delighted to welcome Stephen to Birmingham and look forward to working with him as we further implement our 10-year Major Sporting Events Strategy.”

Stated Cherry Alexander, UKA’s Strategic Lead for Major Events, “We are delighted to welcome Stephen to this crucial interim Chief Operating Officer position ahead of Birmingham 2026. UK Athletics’ track record for staging major championships such as the hugely successful World Athletics and World Para Athletics Championships in London means we are excited to work with individuals who can help maintain this standard of world class delivery. We look forward to working with Stephen alongside the other partners to bring to life our vision for this Championship and ensure the sport of athletics is given an amazing platform in 2026.”

Added Esther Britten, UK Sport Head of Major Events, “The 2026 European Athletics Championships is a key part of UK Sport’s program of mega events, building on the fantastic legacy of the 2022 Commonwealth Games and providing another opportunity for the British public to enjoy seeing the world’s best athletes in action. Stephen’s contribution to delivering a hugely successful Rugby League World Cup 2021 – an event that was truly world-leading in inclusivity and accessibility alongside a hugely successful social impact program – stands him in good stead to take on this new position. Given that Stephen was part of UK Sport’s inaugural Event Leaders Programme, we are delighted that UK Sport’s investment into UK’s major events network is continuing to develop the world’s best sporting event leadership.”

Concluded Britten, “We look forward to working closely with Stephen, the Birmingham City Council and UK Athletics to deliver an event that will deliver huge benefits for the City of Birmingham, the West Midlands region and the whole of the UK.”

The Birmingham City Council is the local Government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England (UK), which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local Council area in the United Kingdom with 101 elected councilors representing over one million people in 69 wards.

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