Coe: Birmingham's Empty Seats Won't Sink London's 2029 World Championships Bid

Sebastian Coe has dismissed fears that the empty seats seen at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham could damage London's bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships, insisting the city's track record speaks for itself.

The early days of the Birmingham championships drew visible criticism over ticket prices and marketing, with swathes of unoccupied seating marring the broadcast picture. The turnaround was real, though. The last four days of the event came close to a sellout, and European Athletics backed the local organisers, pointing to peak BBC audiences of more than two million viewers and a 20% market share (The Guardian).

Coe, the World Athletics president, cited London's packed stadiums at both the 2012 Olympics and the 2017 World Championships as evidence the capital knows how to fill a venue. He will not have a vote on the 2029 host. That decision rests with the World Athletics Council, which meets next month to choose from four candidate cities: London, Munich, Nairobi, and Rome. An evaluation panel will make a recommendation ahead of that vote.

London formally submitted its bid on 6 August 2026, joining a competitive field that spans three continents (Reuters). The bid team reached an agreement with West Ham United to use the London Stadium — the same venue rebuilt for the 2012 Olympics and later adapted for football, a conversion that has drawn both praise and controversy over the years.

Paul Foster, CEO of the Great Run Company, described London's submission as an "outstanding bid," pointing to the city's history of staging major athletics events (Reuters). The Great Run Company is involved in the bid effort.

For London, the pitch is straightforward: it has done this before, and it has done it well. The 2017 World Championships drew sellout crowds across ten sessions at the former Olympic Stadium, a feat no host had previously managed. Nairobi would bring the championships to Africa for the first time, while Munich and Rome each carry their own deep athletics heritage.

The Birmingham episode, though briefly uncomfortable, may ultimately matter less than the broader picture the evaluation panel will weigh — venue readiness, financial guarantees, and proven ability to attract spectators across a full championships, not just the final weekend. London has submitted its case. The council will have the final word next month.