Government backs London 2029 World Champs bid
If successful, the event would return to London Stadium, which last hosted the event in 2017.
Ministers are also backing a UK bid for the World Para Athletics Championships in 2029, saying they are "committed to taking [it] beyond the capital with a host city to be confirmed in due course".
In a statement the government said that "subject to funding from partners being confirmed, [it] has agreed to provide significant funding for both bids".
The news is a major boost to the sport, with London Stadium hosting a sold-out Diamond League meeting in front of 60,000 spectators on Saturday.
Kerr targets British record at star-studded London Diamond League
In June more than 100 of Britain's most renowned athletes wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urging the government to back London's bid to host the World Athletics Championships.
It came after concerns that a bid could be at risk, with uncertainty over the estimated £45m that government was being asked for amid spending cuts, despite claims that the event would deliver £400m of economic impact.
The championships were not referenced when ministers unveiled half a billion pounds of investment into sporting events in a spending review last month.
However, talks have been taking place with UK Athletics and UK Sport, and Starmer said he is "delighted to support the bid".
"Bringing the World Athletics Championships to the UK would be a moment of great national pride, building on our global reputation for hosting memorable sporting events that showcase the very best talent," he said.
"Hosting these championships would not only unlock opportunities for UK athletes, but it would inspire the next generation to get involved and pursue their ambitions.
"The event would provide a boost for UK businesses and support jobs as well as bring our communities together."
Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics, said: "After superb medal hauls over the last few years on the world, Olympic and Paralympic stage, athletics in the UK is on an upward trajectory, with new partners, record participation and sold-out stadia. This support will drive the sport on to new heights."
Josh Kerr, 1500m world champion and double Olympic medallist, said: "London 2017 was my first senior World Championships and it lit a fire in me.
"Being part of a home team in that kind of atmosphere was incredible - it made me hungrier than ever to become a world champion and chase Olympic medals.
"Having the government support to bid for 2029 and potentially bring that experience back to London would be massive.
"It would inspire so many young athletes and give the sport the platform it deserves.
"I'm proud to support the bid and hope we get the chance to show the world what we can do on home soil."
UK plans bid to host 2029 World Championships
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
AstraZeneca CFO talks tariffs & shifting focus to US market
AstraZeneca's (AZN) revenue hit a record high in the second quarter, driven by cancer drug sales and growth in the US market. AstraZeneca CFO Aradhana Sarin sits down with Market Catalysts host Julie Hyman and Yahoo Finance Senior Healthcare Reporter Anjalee Khemlani to discuss the company's strategy to focus on the US and the impact of tariffs. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Catalysts here. I wonder on the Obviously, the company is celebrating the fact that you hit the largest revenues reported for the quarter. That's really good news, especially as the stated goal is to grow by 2030, and half of that to be part of the US. Talk to me about that and the shift to being a quote-unquote American company now, rather than a sort of UK-based one that we've thought of all these years. Uh, so we, you know, last May, we set this ambition of achieving 80 billion in revenues by 2030, which was almost, you know, doubling our revenues from a 2023 base. Um, and, uh, the US is our our fastest growing market. Uh, when we stack, we don't stack very highly right now, uh, in the US when when you compare pharma revenues because a lot of the pharma companies in the US have much bigger sort of revenue base, but we're growing very fast and our hope is that we'll come, you know, in in in the top five and have half of our revenue. We also set an ambition to have 20 new medicines by 2030. And, um, we already have nine of them and, uh, we announced results for another five of them. So hopefully, uh, that shows that we're on track to to achieve that goal. Well, talk to me about why the US is growing that much far faster. Is it because the dynamics of the healthcare system help boost revenues with more prescribing the the way the PBM system is set up? What are the factors that are helping you grow and are helping you stay confident about achieving that goal? So, there are a bunch of different factors. Um, I think the US is still probably the the best market in the world that rewards innovation. Uh, and we are an innovation-driven company. And so, when new therapies come, you know, we we had a product for breast cancer in her two. Uh, we announced data for another breast cancer product. But as soon as new therapy comes, um, the US market is almost the first to provide access to patients for that new therapy. Uh, secondly, physicians are really, um, you know, we go to Congresses like ASCO where there's, you know, tens of thousands of oncology physicians. They're really into, um, looking at the data and making data-driven decisions. So, again, the, you know, the physicians want the best for their patients and patients are able to get access to medicines very quickly once, you know, drug is approved and so forth in the in the innovative space. In many other markets in the world, that whole process to get approval and then get access and reimbursement just takes a very long time. So that's one reason. Um, the second reason, uh, I think particularly beneficial for oncology medicines, uh, is the part D reform. Uh, so on one hand, the part D reform that was enacted hurts us because we are responsible for paying 20% in the catastrophic phase. But from a patient standpoint, if you're a patient, um, you know, in Medicare, your out of pocket is capped at $2,000. So you can get the best therapy and have no more to pay out of pocket, right? So being in that patient population and getting the best access to medicines and the best care and have your out of pocket limited, uh, is is also great for patients. Um, so I think it's it's where physicians and patients and innovation is rewarded. And that's why it's growing faster given our portfolio is all innovative medicines. So, so let's turn then to the manufacturing base rate and the investment that you're making in the US. And I have to ask about tariffs because we even as we discussed it this morning, this new EU sort of framework agreement, it's still sort of unclear. Are pharmaceuticals coming from the EU exempt? Are they not exempt? It seems a little unclear. So how under what assumption are you operating and how do you operate in that kind of environment? Um, yeah, so you know, I would say this is not a tariff is obviously new, but how we've been thinking about our strategic manufacturing, um, is probably goes back three, four years. So post COVID, we made a strategic decision because we're such a global company that we needed to have segregated supply chains. Um, so for example, uh, in in China and in the emerging markets, we supply a lot of that product from China. Um, in the US, majority of the product is supplied from the US and and so forth in Europe. There is, uh, you know, small minority of product, handful of products actually that we still import from Europe into the US. But we do have excess capacity in the US to manufacture those products. Uh, so what we're, you know, we have 11 manufacturing sites in in the US. So our intention once the tariffs, etc. were were announced and there was talks of tariffs, uh, in the short term was just manage through inventory, so build more inventory in in the US. Um, but we've also started tech transfers for those products which we do import and that those tech transfers would be completed, you know, within a within a year or so, so that we can be fully, you know, not just have the majority, but 100% of it being manufactured in in the US. Um, this new facility that we announced, uh, was part of the plan anyway, but that's a separate has nothing to do with tariffs. It's actually based on the demand that we see potentially for our cardiovascular for new cardiovascular medicine. So, um, but you know, you're right, I think there is a little bit of confusion on when the tariffs are going to be implemented. Um, there is from what I've heard, it is a 15%, but there's also talk that that's the cap. Uh, and, uh, the administration is sort of going to wait for the 232 investigation to actually put them into effect or decide. So, uh, in either case, I think we're very well prepared and and we probably have less exposure than than many companies. Related Videos Market's 'fuel' for further P/E expansion is 'nearing empty' Nvidia's TSMC order, Eli Lilly & Novo Nordisk sink, JPMorgan & Apple card Royal Caribbean, Merck, FuboTV: Trending Tickers Why Spotify stock is sinking double digits on Q2 earnings Sign in to access your portfolio
Hypebeast
6 hours ago
- Hypebeast
Tour The East London Office of an Architecture Communications Studio
In one of a few quiet spaces in East London's Shoreditch, architecture communications studioSALThas opened the doors to its new office space, which has been designed byTHISS Studio. With a brief to use 'as much reused material as possible', the design studio set about creating an open plan office that could transition into an event space or photography studio, with waste-saving solutions at its core. Expert-level scavenging was employed, with anything no longer needed being rehomed. The giant tables around which the space is centered are made from old steel catering tables, with the legs cut down to size and placed on casters. A worktop was crafted from leftover cork and white American oak trim – both saved from landfill. Rather than having a fixed meeting room, spaces are created with a huge linen curtain by London-based textile designerGeorgia Bosson, who sourced the end-of-roll fabric from an Irish mill. If not made from scratch from scrap material, furniture is second-hand, such as the bookcase shelving, which came via Gumtree and was once used in a butcher's. Colour is introduced across the columns and beams, which were coated in a rust-toned hue by sustainable paint brand Bleo. In a nod to the building's history, the floors have simply been sanded back and sealed with a matte varnish. 'We shared a commitment to minimising the use of virgin materials, and turning that ideal into reality required a collaborative, flexible design approach,' said Tamsin Hanke, Director at THISS Studio. 'The constraints actually became opportunities—introducing productive friction that sparked creativity and innovation, rather than assuming all materials were readily available.' 'Our new space is as much for our community as it is for SALT,' said Celeste Bolte, Founding Director at SALT. Head to the gallery above to take a look around.
Hamilton Spectator
6 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada's Arop chasing another national title ahead of world championships
Marco Arop has never felt better. The Olympic silver medallist in the 800 metres is among those set to compete at the Canadian track and field championships in Ottawa, which run Wednesday to Sunday. The Edmonton native will look to build on a strong season ahead of the world championships in September in Tokyo. 'I'm confident that I'm in the best shape of my life right now, and I'm excited to prove it,' the reigning world champion said. 'Usually, we have our world championships or Olympics, and we still have more competitions following. So to end the season on a high note, I'd love to make the world final. 'Of course, it falls on my birthday this year, so that would be a cool way to celebrate my birthday. To run the world final and hopefully defend my title. So those are the things that I'm most excited about.' The 26-year-old said he aims to improve one per cent each year. He experimented with training at altitude and had an increase in mileage-based days, allowing him to be stronger with his endurance. Arop started the year strong, winning all three of his Grand Slam races in the 800 against stiff competition. While the times weren't what he wanted, the competitive atmosphere — especially early in the season — helped, as did his occasional forays into the 1,500. 'You don't get those kind of races normally throughout the year,' he said. 'It's usually either at like national championships or world championships or the Olympics.' Since then, he ran a season-best time of one minute 42.22 seconds while finishing second at a Diamond League meet in London on July 19. His personal best of 1:41.20, also a national record and fourth all time, came in his silver-medal effort in Paris last year — an experience he says gave him a major confidence boost. 'I do feel like I've gained confidence following last year,' Arop said. 'I think during 2023 I had probably the most confidence in myself. And then going into the Olympics last year, I wouldn't say I was in the best place to compete. 'But after figuring it out and going through the ups and downs, it gave me confidence knowing that no matter what, I can show up when it matters and whether we're healthy or not. When the time comes, I know how to bring the best out of myself, whatever that may be.' Arop said several factors played into how he felt in Paris last summer. 'I think minor injuries come and go. Last year, it was sort of that final buildup going into the Olympics. I did have a race — it was in Monaco — and it didn't go as well as I hoped it would,' he said. 'And when everybody else is running so fast, it's easy to for the doubt to creep in … And you start questioning your own abilities and if you have what it takes. And I think the feeling of my first Olympic experience in Tokyo was involved in a way. However, I was also comforted knowing that I'm the world champion and I've been in this stage so many times. I think the experience really showed and took me out of that space.' Sprinter Andre De Grasse, Canada's most decorated male Olympian, two-time world indoor shot put champion Sarah Mitton, and Olympic hammer throw champions Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg are among the top names set to compete this week in Ottawa. The men's and women's hammer throw finals are Thursday, the women's shot put and men's 100 go Friday, the men's 800 is Saturday and the men's 200 wraps things up on Sunday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
