LONDON 2017 - Proud Host
London has been awarded the right to stage the 2017 IAAF World Championships following presentations to the IAAF in Monaco today.
The London 2017 bid was awarded the championships following a nine-week campaign against a rival bid from Doha, Qatar. The IAAF member council voted 16-10 in favour of London to host the championships.
Speaking in response to today’s decision, London 2017 bid President Lord Sebastian Coe said: “I am delighted and extremely proud that my colleagues on the IAAF Council have entrusted London with the 2017 World Athletics Championships. It will be such an honour to host our sport’s showcase event in the Olympic Stadium and realise a personal and professional dream. “I would like to pay tribute to my friend and colleague Dahlan Al-Hamad and the Doha bid team who ran a strong campaign. They have continued to innovate and show a passionate love of sport and desire to bring new events and I am sure it won’t be long before they host the World Championships.”
Chair Ed Warner said: “We are immensely proud that the IAAF Council has voted to award London the right to stage the 2017 World Championships in athletics. “We have campaigned throughout the bid knowing that we can deliver a superb, record-breaking world championships, and we are delighted that the IAAF has now given us the opportunity to do so. “This mandate means we can now push on and organise what will be a superb event for London and for athletics globally, putting athletes at its heart.”
Sports Minister Hugh Robertson added: “I am delighted that London has won the right to host 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. I am sure we will put on a brilliant championships in the Olympic Stadium and the Government looks forward to working with the IAAF, UKA and the Mayor to deliver exactly that.”
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “This is wonderful news for London and hosting the 2017 World Athletics Championships in the Olympic Stadium will bring our long term vision for legacy to life. We are a diverse city where the world athletics family will feel at home and we look forward to welcoming you in 2017. “This decision serves to reinforce London’s status as a world-class sporting venue now and for the future.”
Simon Morton, Director of Events at UK Sport said: “This is a superb result for London and the coalition that has come together to deliver the bid. London 2017 was the number one event for us to bring to the UK post 2012 and we’ve achieved that. We have promised to deliver the greatest ever World Championships on behalf of our partners, the IAAF so the hard work must now begin.
Niels de Vos, Chief Executive of London 2017 and UKA: “We are absolutely delighted with the decision to award London the honour of hosting the 2017 World Athletics Championships. We want to repay the faith the IAAF Council has shown in us to ensure the 2017 World Championships are the best they can possibly be. We will learn from our colleagues and the next editions of the championships staged in Moscow in 2013 and Beijing 2015 and take on board their experience in hosting.
“It is a superb decision for the legacy of athletics in the UK and we are delighted that events next in 2012 will go towards inspiring young athletes to amazing performances in 2017.
- http://www.london2017athletics.com/
London beats Doha to stage 2017 World Athletics Championships.
London beats Doha to stage 2017 World Athletics Championships. The Championships will be held in the United Kingdom for the first time. Londons bid was strong and the team pulled rabbit out of hat by matching $7.2M prize kitty and pointed to 2012 stadium and investment.
World youth champion sprinter and Londoner Jodie Williams, 18, and Olympic heptathlon gold medallist Denise Lewis made the final presentations to the IAAF. The based sprinter, who will be 23 in 2017, stressed her "ultimate dream" is to compete for a senior world title in front of a home crowd.
But the IAAF turned their back on a massive financial offer from Doha, who were prepared to invest $236.2 million (£147.7 million) in the Championships, including $80 million (£50 million) to stage them and the offer of a sponsorship and television package worth $29 million (£18 million).
London did not have the financial muscle to compete against that but did counter by making the late offer of underwriting the cost of the $7.2 million (£4.5 million) prize money to be awarded at the Championships.
The full lists of those who have offered their support reads like a who’s who of world athletics. Some of the world’s top current athletes such as Tirunesh Dibaba, Steve Hooker, Tyson Gay and Fabiana Murer have joined a stellar cast of supporters for London 2017.
Former legends such as Edwin Moses, world record holders like Jonathan Edwards and previous world champions including Steve Cram and Sally Gunnell have all stepped in to support London 2017.
They are joined by current day legends such as Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele, and reigning world champions from the UK – Mo Farah and Dai Greene- and overseas in the shape of Carmelita Jeter and Tatyana Chernova.
The three shortlisted women for IAAF Athlete of the Year, Valerie Adams, Vivian Cheruiyot and Sally Pearson have also spoken out in favour of London.
Bid President Seb Coe said: “I am thrilled that the London 2017 bid has received such wide ranging and high profile support from the world’s athletes.
They are clearly so excited and enthused by the idea of competing in a championships where their needs have been addressed and where they will compete in front of a full passionate crowd. The input from athletes the world over is already starting to help us develop plans for 2017 should we be successful this week, and it is superb to see them declare their support in this way.
Ed Warner, Chair for the London 2017 bid said: “We are so grateful for the letters of support from the athletes the world over, we have a hundred athletes representing a hundred years of athletics.
“It would be superb if we could deliver a 2017 World Championships based on their feedback to the Athlete Commission. Going into the final day of campaigning it is great to hear the voice of the athletes. I very much hope we will get an opportunity to repay them with a superb World Championship experience.”