London has formally entered the race to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, putting forward a bid that organisers say could deliver more than £400 million in economic and
social benefits while extending the capital’s reputation as one of the world’s leading destinations for major sporting events.
The final bid was submitted to World Athletics on Thursday by Athletic Ventures (AV), a partnership between UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and the Great Run Company.
At the heart of the proposal is the London Stadium, the former Olympic venue in Stratford that hosted the athletics programme during the 2012 London Games and later staged the 2017 World Athletics Championships.
The bid would effectively bring the global athletics community back to a venue with an established record of staging elite competition in front of large international audiences.
UK Athletics chief executive Jack Buckner said an agreement had been reached with London Stadium and West Ham United, which uses the stadium as its home ground.
“We're delighted that we have reached agreement with the London Stadium and West Ham United for the use of the London Stadium,” Buckner said, describing the project as part of Britain's longer-term Olympic legacy plans.
The organisers are seeking to build the 2029 championships around more than the elite competition itself. The proposal includes mass-participation athletics events across Britain, with the intention of using the championships to encourage wider public engagement with sport and create benefits beyond the host stadium.
Great Run Company chief executive Paul Foster described the proposal as an “outstanding bid”, pointing to London’s extensive experience of staging international athletics and other major sporting competitions.
The capital has hosted the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2017 World Athletics Championships, the annual London Marathon and a Diamond League meeting, giving the city a substantial infrastructure and organisational base for another global athletics event.
London Marathon Events chief executive Hugh Brasher said the 2029 championships could generate more than £400 million in economic and social benefits, with organisers expecting spending, tourism, employment and participation programmes to contribute to the wider impact.
The bid comes as cities compete increasingly hard for major sporting events, which are seen not only as opportunities to attract international visitors but also as platforms for investment, urban regeneration and promoting participation in sport.
For London, the proposed championships would reinforce the capital's position on the global sporting calendar while making use of facilities that were developed or upgraded as part of the city's Olympic legacy.
The London Stadium would once again become the focal point for the world's leading track and field athletes, while events linked to the championships could extend beyond the capital to communities across the UK.
World Athletics is expected to select the host city for the 2029 World Championships in September.
A successful bid would give London another opportunity to stage one of athletics' biggest global events — and underline the continuing value of the infrastructure and international reputation built around the 2012 Olympics. Photo by WiNG, Wikimedia commons.
