Yet more global athletics championships are heading the UK’s way after both Cardiff and Birmingham were handed major events for the coming years.
It has been announced that the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships will take place in Cardiff in 2016, with the IAAF World Indoor Championships coming to Birmingham two years later.
The decision marks a golden four year period of major world championships coming to the UK for the sport of athletics, with the IAAF and IPC World Championships already scheduled for London in 2017 and preceded by the World Mountain Running Championships scheduled for Conwy, North Wales, in 2015.
The awarding of the events came following detailed submissions and presentations on day two of the 187th IAAF Council Meeting taking place in Monaco – ahead of this weekend’s World Athletics Gala.
Cardiff will be the third UK host for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in recent years, with both Bristol and Birmingham staging it successfully in 2001 and 2009 respectively.
Birmingham will look forward to welcoming the World Indoors back to the National Indoor Arena in 2018 following a £26 million refurbishment, having staged a successful event in 2003, and also playing host to its European equivalent in 2007.
UK Athletics CEO Niels de Vos said: “This is a fantastic day for British Athletics and represents the best possible outcome.
“To have secured world championships in 2015, 16, 17 and 18 represents a golden four year period for athletics.
“We are all very proud of what ourselves and the cities of Cardiff and Birmingham have achieved today - it is unprecedented and is fabulously exciting.”
IAAF vice president Lord Sebastian Coe said: “The IAAF recognised that the Birmingham bid was a winner and the Council were delighted that the city was happy to be awarded the World Champs in 2018.
“For athletics in the UK it makes great strategic sense, giving us an amazing opportunity to maintain the incredible momentum athletics has built up in the UK.
“Ed (Warner) and Niels deserve huge credit for persuading the IAAF to return again so soon as do the cities of Cardiff and Birmingham for preparing such compelling presentations.”
© Sportsbeat 2013