Safi – London has submitted its final bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships and will compete with three rival cities for the event.
Athletic Ventures, a joint venture between UK Athletics, London Marathon Events, and the Great Run Company, filed the bid documents to World Athletics, the sport’s global governing body, on Thursday.
The proposal would stage the championships at the London Stadium, which hosted the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2017 World Athletics Championships.
London is one of four cities bidding to stage the 2029 edition, alongside Rome, Munich, and Nairobi.
Italy’s athletics federation, FIDAL, submitted Rome’s candidacy, and Munich’s city council approved its bid. Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge has backed Nairobi’s bid, which would bring the World Championships to Africa for the first time.
The London bid had been threatened by a dispute over the availability of the stadium, the home ground of Premier League club West Ham United, before the two sides reached an agreement.
Under the deal, West Ham would play no more than two consecutive away games in the Premier League, or three in the English Football League (EFL), during the 2029-30 season.
“We’re delighted that we have reached agreement with the London Stadium and West Ham United for the use of the London Stadium,” UK Athletics chief executive Jack Buckner said.
Organizers say the championships would generate more than £400 million (about MAD 5 billion) in economic and social benefits, paired with mass-participation events across Britain.
Great Run Company chief executive Paul Foster called it an “outstanding bid” and pointed to London’s record of hosting the Olympics, the World Championships, the London Marathon, and the Diamond League.
London last hosted the World Championships in 2017.
World Athletics is expected to name the 2029 and 2031 hosts in September.
