London Bid for 2017 Athletics Paralympic World Championships
November 14, 2012
London have confirmed they have submitted a bid to host the 2017 Paralympic World Championships for Athletics.
On the back of the successful 2012 Games, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson opened talks with the International Paralympic Committee, UK Athletics and UK Sport over holding the championships in the Olympic Stadium.
If London wins the race for hosting, it would be a double triumph for the city after it beat rival bidder Doha a year ago to host the IAAF World Athletic Championship – to be hosted in August 2017.
Johnson said: “The huge appetite for tickets to the 2012 Games this summer shows the level of excitement Paralympic sport can generate, and forever changed the way we think about disabled sport.
“The 2017 IPC World Championships present a fantastic opportunity for us to build on that phenomenal surge of enthusiasm, and welcome back some of the world’s greatest sportsmen and women to the Olympic Stadium.
“Securing the Championships would not only reinforce London’s reputation as the world’s leading sporting city, it would bring a vital multi-million pound boost to the capital’s economy, creating jobs and driving growth in east London.”
Two months ago ParalympicsGB bagged 120 medals, including 34 golds, and were third in the medal table behind China and Russia.
UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner added: “I’m delighted that the city has decided to build on the success of the Paralympics.”