- West Ham face new pressure to vacate the London Stadium
- A bid for the World Athletics Championship in 2029 is conditional on the team leaving the stadium for three weeks
- The season would have begun when the games are due to take place
West Ham United now face a new pressure to vacate the London Stadium in order to facilitate the capitol’s bid for the World Athletics Championships in 2029.
Devised by Lord Sebastian Coe, the man who orchestrated the Olympics coming to London in 2012, believes the Hammers should allow the stadium to be used to host the Championships.
The problem is, the event is due to take place after the beginning of he 2029/30 football season, and West Ham‘s contract states the stadium will prioritise football events, with their being no contractual obligation for the Hammers to vacate for athletics.
The Iron’s hierarchy have already said no to the initial proposal, but now face a new wave of pressure.
London Marathon director calls on West Ham to vacate
London Marathon director, Hugh Brasher, has called on West Ham to allow the use of the London Stadium for the World Athletics Championships.
Brasher is a huge part of the team behind the bid for the 2029 games and knows he has to persuade the Hammers soon, with the submission for full detailed bids, August of this year.
West Ham could vacate over a three week period and play back-to-back away games, but the club feel no obligation to do so, nor do they feel their is any contractual obligation to do so.
Brasher told the Guardian the Hammers should so some ‘heart and soul’ and allow the Championships to be held in the stadium.
“Football is an interesting, very tribal, sport,” he told Brasher said. “Money talks. But sometimes people look at their heart, they look at their soul, and that’s the purpose.”
“My father’s (Chris) final words in the article [about starting the London Marathon] in 1979 said: ‘London had the course, but did it have the heart and the soul to welcome the world?’
“I would ask West Ham, do they have the heart and the soul to open the stadium?”
London face competition from Rome, Munich and Nairobi to host the Championships.
