6 days ago
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The buzzword was ‘disappointment’ but shock was the undertone. That London has failed to land the 2029 World Athletics Championships was of less surprise upon the unveiling on Tuesday than the identity of the winner – Nairobi.
The allure of the event going to Africa for the first time is obvious. It is also indisputable that Kenya has contributed as many doping scandals as great athletic performances in recent years.
But internally, the threat was perceived from elsewhere. According to sources involved in London’s doomed bid, the past fortnight had seen a growing fear that their main competition would come from Munich.
When they received an email a little after 10am on Tuesday with the verdict, it dawned that their suspicions had been misplaced – Nairobi had been chosen to host in 2029, Munich in 2031, and London was left red-faced and empty handed.
As frontrunners and slight favourites for 2029, those behind London’s bid were devastated by the stunning twist at the end of a troubled process.
The initial difficulties can be traced to rows with West Ham United over the use of the London Stadium, which staged a highly-successful World Championships in August 2017 but has long been the reserve of footballing operations during non-summer months.
The London Stadium won't play host to the 2029 World Athletics Championship after bidders lost out to Nairobi, Kenya
The stadium was the backdrop for magical moments at the London 2012 Olympics, such as Mo Farah's win in the 5,000m (pictured)
Instead the Championships will head for the Kasarani Stadium in Kenya, where Everton played a friendly against Kariobangi Sharks in 2019
Daily Mail Sport reported in April that West Ham were trenchantly opposed to signing off on any plans to vacate their home ground during a sizeable chunk of September 2029, and that hurdle existed well beyond the April 3 deadline for provisional bid submissions to World Athletics.
A source close to the stand-off claims that two days prior to the deadline for final submissions, on August 5, there was still uncertainty if the bid would proceed. But London’s bid had influential support, including £45million of backing from the government and mayor’s office, and West Ham did compromise. The bid was submitted on time.
The mystery in the wake of failure is whether the high-profile row, which included public digs from 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, had any bearing on the voting among the 26-member World Athletics Council in Budapest.
Senior figures within Athletic Ventures, which spearheaded the London bid and combines UK Athletics, The Great Run Company and London Marathon Events, are adamant the West Ham issue was not to blame for losing the vote. But it is also clear that the uneasy mood will not have helped to inspire confidence among those voters who were torn.
Similar would be said of the low crowds in the early stages of the European Championships staged in Birmingham this summer. They were cited by two sources following the announcement of Nairobi’s victory on Tuesday.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has previously played down those fears, citing that major events in London always deliver strong crowds. However, it is perhaps noteworthy that Coe did not have a vote in the staging decision and will conclude his final term in office next September.
Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics and co-founder of Athletic Ventures, said: ‘We are deeply disappointed that the 2029 World Athletics Championships will not be held in London. We believed we had an outstanding bid which would genuinely take the sport to new levels.
‘Athletic Ventures has the ambition to bring those events here and, although today’s announcement hasn’t gone our way, we will review and regroup. We know the world’s athletes love competing here and we’ll continue to explore further opportunities to make that happen.’
The initial difficulties of London's bid can be traced to rows with West Ham United over the use of the London Stadium
World Athletics president Lord Coe did not have a vote in the staging decision and will conclude his final term in office next September
In announcing Nairobi’s win, Lord Coe said: ‘Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic. Kenya is one of the great athletics nations.
‘It was important that the World Athletics Championships should come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment.’
Irrespective of the above, there is some awkwardness around a host better known lately for its doping scandals - more than 300 Kenyan athletes have been sanctioned for doping offences since 2017. It was only in March that Kenya was removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency compliance watch list. To receive this level of validation so soon has raised eyebrows within the sport.
For London mayor Sadiq Khan the news was a blow that could soon be compounded, if a fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury materialises in Cardiff over Wembley Stadium.
A spokesperson for the mayor said: ‘The mayor is disappointed that London will not host the 2029 World Athletics Championships. London put forward an outstanding bid, and he thanks all the partners who supported it.
‘Sadiq congratulates Nairobi. Their selection means that the World Athletics Championships will be held in Africa for the first time ever in what is a landmark moment for athletics. He wishes them every success in 2029.
‘London remains the sporting capital of the world, and the mayor will continue working to bring more of the world’s biggest events to our city.’
