London Awarded 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships

The 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships were awarded todat to London following their amazing success at the London 2012 Olympics. 

The Championships will be held in July 2017 at the Olympic Stadium, just a month before the same venue plays host to the IAAF World Athletics Championships. London will become the first city to host the two Championships side-by-side, recreating the summer of sport which transformed the British capital in the summer of 2012. 

The Greater London Authority will organise the Championships, partnering with the London Borough of Newham, UK Athletics, ParalympicsGB, the London Legacy Development Corporation and the University of East London. 

During the bid process, London Mayor Boris Johnson used the success of London 2012 to argue for the return of international Paralympic competition to the British capital, which receives 26 million overnight visitors annually. 

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London and chairman of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “This year London just staged the best spectacle of sport the world has seen. By bringing the IPC Athletics World Championships to our wonderful Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park just a month before the World Athletics Championships, the capital is poised to recreate the magic of 2012. 

“London’s Paralympic Games were the first ever to sell out, and these Championships provide a perfect chance to build on that enthusiasm for disabled sport, bringing back the world’s greatest Paralympians to the Olympic Stadium, and at the same time providing a major economic boost to the capital.” 

The city hosted the first-ever sold out Paralympics this summer, staging one of the most accessible Paralympic events ever and establishing the foundation of a legacy for years to come after what IPC President Sir Philip Craven hailed the “best Games” in history. 

In total 1,134 athletes took part in track and field events in London this past summer, setting 102 world and 139 Paralympic records. Of the 141 countries that participated in athletics, 75 won at least one medal. 

The athletics competition at the Paralympics drew sold-out crowds of 80,000 for every session and attracted more than a billion cumulated television viewers worldwide at what is now one of the world’s most well-known stadiums.

Tim Reddish, President of the British Paralympic Association, was delighted with the outcome and hoped disability sport in the country would gain further momentum from this.

“It’s fantastic news for both athletes and sports fans that the 2017 IPC World Athletics Championships are being held at the London 2012 Olympic Stadium,” he told iSportconnect exclusively.

“It will enable the disability sport community to build on the momentum gained from this year’s Paralympic Games and through a strong 5 year plan it will, hopefully, attract more athletes, coaches and volunteers to disability sport.

“The delivery of the London Games told us that with clear planning and excellent execution the World Championships will attract the world’s best athletes and fill the stadium with dedicated sports fans.”

Ed Warner, IPC Athletics Sport Technical Committee Chairperson and Chair of UK Athletics, said: “The UK’s capital city has already demonstrated its ability to provide an excellent experience for athletes and spectators alike. London 2017 will bring record crowds for an IPC World Championships, creating an ideal backdrop for athletes to break records, further raising the profile of sport for people with an impairment in the process.” 

The IPC Athletics World Championships are the largest single-sport competition for athletes with an impairment in the world and take place on a bi-annual basis. 

Xavier Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer of the IPC, said: “The London 2012 Paralympic Games were some of the best we’ve ever seen, and we cannot wait to see Great Britain embrace the Paralympic Movement once again with open arms. The bar has been set high for the 2017 IPC Athletics World Championships, and we are eager to see the worldwide media attention they attract.” 

Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson said: “We want to build on the huge success of the London 2012 Paralympics so I am delighted that the International Paralympic Committee has awarded London the honour of hosting its 2017 Athletics World Championships. This is the latest in a long line of top class sporting events that will be staged in the UK over the next few years. Hosted in the iconic Olympic Stadium, I know it will receive huge support from the British public.”