London Stadium to host new World Cup of athletics competition

London Stadium
Martin Cole/ProSports/REX
Standard Sport5 February 2018

A new World Cup event featuring eight of the top nations will take place at the London Stadium on July 14 and 15 this year, British Athletics has announced.

The IAAF have been pushing to modernise the sport and are thought to be keen backers to the British Athletics proposal.

All field and track events up to and including the 1500m will feature, with USA, Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Poland, China, Germany, France, Jamaica and South Africa all competing.

IAAF president, Seb Coe said: “This is one of the exciting innovative events we are seeing in our sport and our thanks go to British Athletics and the Mayor of London for creating it and hosting it. We have 8 lanes, 8 top nations, 8 teams and a host of world class athletes lining up in each event to win the trophy and prize pot. This will be a fast-paced and exhilarating experience for athletes and fans.”

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “when it comes to hosting world-class sport, no other city does it quite like London. Holding the first-ever World Para Athletics and World Athletics Championships together in London last summer, will live long in the memory and we are again looking forward to welcoming the world’s best athletes and sports fans from around the globe to our great city.

“It’s fitting that each nation competing in the Athletics World Cup will be captained by a woman as we mark the centenary of the first women securing the right to vote, I am delighted British Athletics has joined me in the #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign to support the continuing success of women and our push for greater gender equality from all backgrounds.”

Originally, it had been billed as The Meet between GB and the US over one day but is thought to have been expanded to two over July 14 and 15 to appeal to further nations.

The competition on the same weekend as the World Cup Final and the finals of Wimbledon.

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