London Get 2017 World Championships

London have been awarded the 2017 World Championships by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

They beat rivals Doha by polling 16 votes to their rivals 10, a bigger margin than most experts had predicted.

This is another success for Sebastian Coe, who had led the bid, coming six years after he had led London’s campaign to host the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.

The 2017 World Championships will mark the first time Britain has ever hosted the Championships, the third largest international sporting event in terms of athlete numbers after the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup.

London were awarded the 2005 World Championships but was forced to pull out after then Prime Minister Tony Blair broke a promise to build a new stadium at Picketts Lock.

The English capital, which failed with bids to host the 2001 and 2015 Worlds, will use the 2012 Olympic Stadium.

Sebastian Coe said: “This bid has been developed by athletes and athletics, for athletes and athletics.

“We believe 2017 will cement the clear, unambiguous vision we offered the world in 2005 [when London was awarded the 2012 Olympics], a vision that promised a real legacy through unprecedented levels of investment in our new national stadium. This is the natural continuation of the work being done on 2022”