London gets 2017 World Athletics Championships
London will fulfil a promise of a legacy for track and field following next year's Olympics after it was chosen to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships by beating Doha for the right to stage the global showpiece for the first time.
The IAAF announced the decision after a head-to-head battle in which 2012 Games hosts London won by 16 votes to 10 among the council members.
London's bid, backed by more than 100 top athletes, past and present, had promised a "wealth of expertise and experience, a proven track record of commercial success and a stadium packed full of passionate fans".
"We've worked really hard for this," UK Athletics chief Ed Warner told Reuters. "I'm the optimist in our camp and I've been optimistic all along."
London's victory swept away any lingering doubts over the future of the Olympic Stadium for track and field following the protracted dispute between soccer clubs West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The uncertainty ended last month when the IAAF was given a signed legal document from the British government guaranteeing the athletics track would be maintained at the Olympic Stadium regardless of which soccer club moved in after the 2012 Games.
Under the terms of new arrangements for the stadium to remain in public ownership, athletics is guaranteed at the Stratford venue for 99 years.
IAAF president Lamine Diack had warned London had no chance of hosting the 2017 worlds if it did not retain the track.
"The maintenance of the track and field legacy was absolutely crucial," said Olympics chief Sebastian Coe, who spearheaded the 2017 bid.
"We do take our responsibility here very, very seriously. Whichever city had prevailed, we still face the same challenges in exciting more people into track and field. We won't let you down.
"It will be such an honour to host our sport's showcase event in the Olympic Stadium and realise a personal and professional dream."
London's bid team, which also included Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, London Mayor Boris Johnson and former Olympic champion
Prime Minister David Cameron, who gave a video message as part of the bid presentation on Friday, said it was "great news for London and the whole country".
"There is no better way to follow the Olympics, and to build on its legacy, than by welcoming the world's greatest athletes back to London for the 2017 world championships," he said in a statement.
Oil-rich Qatar, which will host the 2022 soccer World Cup and is ploughing vast sums into its goal of establishing the desert nation as a major sporting hub, offered the IAAF huge cash incentives totalling over $236 million as part of its bid.
It proposed underwriting an $80 million budget for the event, spending $120 million on construction, $29 million on guaranteeing sponsorship for all events leading up to 2017 and covering the $7.2 million prize fund for the championships.
London also offered to underwrite the prize money, while saying it could raise $1 billion in sponsorship revenues.
Doha's key message to the IAAF was "like never before", but the Gulf state will have to wait for another day.
Bid committee vice-chairman and IAAF vice-president Dahlan Al-Hamad congratulated the victorious London team.
"The main thing is that it was a fair battle, we wish them good luck and we believe that in sport there is winning and losing, but at the end of the day all of us are working for the good of the sport," he told Reuters in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel where the IAAF Council held its vote.
"I think we did all we could."
England's previous bid to land a major global sporting event - the 2018 football World Cup - ended in embarrassment and humiliation last December, attracting just two FIFA member votes in the first ballot, including that of the English FIFA vice president.
London also had to banish unhappy memories of previous failed attempts to host the biennial world championships of track and field.
A bid for the 2001 event had to be abandoned after initial plans for an athletics track to be included in the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium were scrapped.
London was awarded the 2005 championships in 2001 but had to give up the opportunity to Helsinki when a proposed new stadium at Picketts Lock in North London was deemed too expensive. London also ditched a bid for the 2015 event because of the legal wrangle over the Olympic Stadium's future tenant.
London and Doha were the only candidates for the 2017 showpiece. The 2013 championships will be staged in Moscow with Beijing hosting the showpiece event two years later.
Comment 56 - 75 of 75
pay for it yourselves southerners your not interested in the rest of the u k
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@WW, its about time we English got back some of those hundreds of miilions we 'Give'to you sweaty's every year. Stop complaining and get on spending our money on your dole queues.
Oh No here we go again, more scottish money getting wasted on english playtime. But it will be the best ever games eh, again. Is'nt everything down there always the best. Have you started the countdown for this one on your wee countdown clocks. What a joke.
Steve says 'how many millions is this going to cost the country?' No it will be the unlucky Londoners who have to fund it again through their council tax - just like the Olympics - that will be a fiasco.
Great - more inconvenience for us Londoners - why in the hell couldn't it have gone to somewhere like Rotherham - let them put up with the inconvenience.
Our Wandsworth Councillors have called a meeting for the residents called LETS TALK for our ward. 8 topics headlined - but nothing about the fact that we are going to be completely cut off during the Olympics - we will be unable to drive and public transport is being cancelled in our area - Great!!
One good thing I suppose is that the place will be kept as a sports arena and area and not changed into football clubs which I think neither clubs fans want.
once a money making event for london,tony blair made the olympics in london a special for london,which meant that as the east end was regenerated,there would be no balance of payments given to ireland wales or scotland due to london investment which the 3 would normaly get,the funds set aside for good causes by the lottery for the 3 countries was taken and sent to london to pay for olympics,so goodcauses lost out,and judging by who got the tickets ordinary folk who pay into the lottery never got a ticket or even chance of one,london greed knows no bounds,gateshead could have done a great job and help regenerate some of the north,but coe and fellow greedy lumps only want london to get anything,well in spirit of the season fast approaching i say to coe and for all those who wanted to visit the olympics but,were priced out by rich gits
BAH HUMBUG !
Oh joy,Now we get a stadium that will be full for two events in six years.And of course you wont be able to get a ticket for either.(I live 2 miles from this thing)
It is about time that we got a large sporting event in England-Foreign countries such as London seem to get it all.
And how many millions or billions is this going to cost the country?
We have no money now it is about time that we stop all this overseas aid and trying to entertain the world. Close the borders kick out the illegals with no right of appeal and lets get our own house in order first. Then we could look after our troops instead of making them redundant
You got to be joking have you seen or heard about the mess this time round its a joke
Argh why do we keep on trying to host stuff we don't have any money!
@bogandintheuk
The infrastructure for the world athletics championship are already there because of 2012 olympic games. Zero money to invest but a lot of money to earn.
tourist from Europe come to watch it, people all over the world watch it. good for the image of England and city of london. london for example is with paris and london the most visited citys in the world (from foreigners).
thousand of jobs only because of tourism. who do you think buy in harrod's or other expensive shops?? = mostly tourist who splash their cash in their holiday. (seen with my one eyes)
With Olympia 2012, champions league final 2013 ,Rugby world cup in 2015 and atheltic in 2017 England is the world place in sport for the next 8 years. And visitor will break new records in London.
stupid people like you moan only how expensive everything is but don't see that sometimes you have to invest and risk something to make it better.
Without sport (especially premier league)and monarchy england would be a triste place and nobody would care. so be happy about that. this events are jobs and money for the english people
............and maybe it's because I'm a Londoner .......that I'm a feckin greedy Git.
A view from a Non Londoner.
its football not fu$king soccer
Sabastian Coe was one of our greatest athletes 30 years ago , who better to take our country to our first Olympics since 1948 and now our first ever World championships . Instead of being critical , lets think of the good these events can and will do for the England.
What about Newcaste and Gateshead hosting the Games? They have all of the International sized arenas, Hotels, access by Rail, Sea, Road and Air etc. Why not let a Northern City that has been forgotten about by successive Governments enjoy the publicity, business growth and spending that the Games will bring?
London is a smelly, colosally expensive and faceless City... Let people see a community that is still an interactive community with hospitality high on the agenda. AND it's about 60% cheaper than London.
What a bunch of miserable gits!
Well done Londoners. Now we are paying for Olimpic soon for another extravaganza. Plus another years about eurozone bailouts and hundreds another excuses for grabbing the rest of Brits!
The state of the nation demands prudency, not presige......we lost that years ago.
For f sake, get a grip in government.....WE, JOE PUBLIC, CANNOT AFFORD YOUR SELFISH ENTERTAINMENT.
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