London to host World Athletics 2017

London has won the race to host the World Athletics Championships in 2017, beating Qatar's capital Doha.


The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) awarded
the showcase track and field event to the UK in a 16-10 vote at the
World Athletics Gala in Monaco.


The decision denied Qatar a second major global sports event after it was awarded football's 2022 World Cup last year.


The championships will be staged in London's £496m Olympic Stadium,
securing the future of the arena and its athletics track, which was under threat of being dismantled after next year's Games.


IAAF vice president Lord Sebastian Coe, who has spoken out strongly
to ensure the running track remains after the Olympics, said the vote
was a "major victory".











"The stadium will be stuffed to the gills with people who want to be there," he said.


"We've got the games in 2012, the world athletics championships in
2017 and world championships in virtually all other sports. It's an
extraordinary clean sweep for British sport."


:: Read more reaction from the key players after the IAAF's decision


The stadium will be reduced from a capacity of 80,000 for the Olympics to 60,000 for the championships.


Mayor Boris Johnson also praised the decision, saying it was a "major
milestone" towards delivering the capital's legacy from the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games.












The World Athletics Championships will be held at London's Olympic Stadium in 2017





He said: "Despite an excellent challenge from Doha, the London team
put together a cracking bid which has paid off with this fantastic news.


"With the 2017 championships now in the diary next summer's London
Games is just the start of a long and active life for our magnificent
stadium."


Prime Minister David Cameron said the bid win was "great news" for the country.


"There is no better way to follow the Olympics, and to build on its
legacy, than by welcoming the world's greatest athletes back to London
for the 2017 World Championships," he said.

Excellent news.