European Athletics Championships to take place in Great Britain for the first time ever
It’s not been long since the Commonwealth Games were in Birmingham but some of the world’s best athletes will be returning once again to the city in four years’ time.
This is because Birmingham has been awarded the 2026 European Athletics Championships.
The withdrawal of the bid from Budapest, host city of the 2023 World Athletics Championships, meant that Birmingham now has a chance to build its legacy from the Commonwealth Games in a similar, albeit scaled down, fashion to London hosting the World Athletics Championships five years after the 2012 Olympics.
Since the turn of the century Great Britain has hosted the Olympics (2012), World Championships (2017), three Commonwealth Games (2002, 2014, 2022), two World Indoor Championships (2003 and 2018) – about to be three in 2024 – and two European Indoor Championships (2007 and 2019).
However, it has never hosted the outdoor European Athletics Championships, the 27th edition of which will take place in 2026.
British athletes enjoyed huge success at the most recent event in Munich and Great Britain finished second to Germany in the final athletics table with six gold, six silver and eight bronze medals.
Keely Hodgkinson (Getty)
Golds came from Keely Hodgkinson, Laura Muir, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Zharnel Hughes and the men’s 4x100m and 4x400m teams.
According to The Guardian, it looks likely be a standalone event, unlike the multi-sport bonanzas which were staged jointly between Glasgow and Berlin in 2018, then Munich this summer.
UK Athletics’ CEO Jack Buckner said: “We are delighted and honoured that we have been awarded the privilege of hosting the European Athletics Championships in 2026 in Birmingham. It is wonderful news for athletics and benefits the whole of the UK in demonstrating our ability to host major events across the whole country.
“UKA has held a long time wish to deliver this event and we thank European Athletics for its faith in entrusting us with its most important competition.
“Our vision for the Championships is about record breaking ticket sales and an amazing atmosphere for athletes to be inspired inside and outside the stadium. We have promised to deliver an amazing, innovative and game changing Championships, and we’re excited we can now put this plan into action!”
Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We are honoured and privileged to…
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