Athletics president says poor attendance in Birmingham won't hurt London's World Championship bid
Crowd numbers dropped as low as 12,844 at the 23,000 capacity stadium in Birmingham during the 2026 European Championships
World Athletics president Lord Sebastian Coe has played down concerns that low crowds at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham could damage London’s bid to host the 2029 World Championships.
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Birmingham is the first UK city to host the European Championships in 92 years, but some early-week sessions at the 23,000-capacity Alexander Stadium were faltering in numbers, with attendance dropping as low as 12,844.
There have, however, been signs of improvement. A crowd of 20,082 watched Amy Hunt sprint to 200m gold, while organisers say Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening sessions are close to selling out.
London, which hosted the World Championships in 2017, is bidding against Rome, Nairobi and Munich to stage the 2029 event.
The winning bid will be announced after the World Athletics Council meets on September 15.
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Asked whether pictures of empty seats in Birmingham could hurt London’s chances, Lord Coe said: “Look, it’s horses for courses. We had London (Olympics) in 2012, London in 2017, London will point to having sold out Diamond League five months before the event took place.
“So I think it was a challenge. It’s always a challenge starting a championship on a Monday morning.”
London’s bid received a boost last week when an agreement was reached with West Ham over the use of the London Stadium.
Two of the four prospective hosts presented their bids on Thursday, with the remaining two due to make their pitches on Friday.
The evaluation panel will then make a recommendation to the World Athletics Council, which can choose whether or not to accept it.
“They either accept it or they don’t,” said Lord Coe, who does not have a vote as the presiding officer.
“And if they don’t, then you open up the process. You don’t simply say, ‘Well it goes to (this city), you’ll have the next one’.”
London’s chances could also be helped by its plans for the marathon.
The capital is due to stage a one-off two-day London Marathon in 2027, after a record 1,338,544 people entered the ballot for just 100,000 places.
Lord Coe said marathon and running are a “huge part” of World Athletics’ marketplace.
Asked about the prospect of London hosting both events, he added: “Again, it’s very much horses for courses. London can probably support that.”