Colin Jackson And Other Welsh Legends Join World Athletics Bid

Colin Jackson. Pic. Alamy

The 2029 World Athletics Championships could be coming to the UK if a call from some of the legends of the sport in Wales is taken up.

Some of Wales’ greatest athletes, past and present, have signed a letter calling on the Prime Minister to back a bid to bring the World Athletics Championships to London in 2029.

Among the signatories are Welsh hurdling world champions Colin Jackson CBE and Dai Greene.

They are joined by the likes of the legendary Lynn Davies CBE, who won long jump gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and some of the nation’s brightest current day stars like reigning World Indoor 60m champion Jeremiah Azu.

In all, more than 100 of Great Britain’s most successful athletes, including Sir Mo Farah, Dame Kelly Holmes and Daley Thompson, have backed the bid to host the 2029 games at the iconic London Stadium.

Between them they have won in excess of 750 medals at international championships, more than 300 of them gold.

In the powerful letter, the athletes say: “We write as athletes who have had the honour of representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the world stage. Among us are World, Olympic, European and Commonwealth champions and medallists.

“We’ve stood on podiums with pride but there is nothing like competing in front of a home crowd. For many athletes, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"For our country, it’s an opportunity we must not let pass us by.

“That’s why we are calling on the UK Government to back the bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2029.

“There is no more iconic setting than the London Stadium, the scene of unforgettable moments at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the record-breaking 2017 World Championships.

“Britain knows how to put on global events. We do it brilliantly. And when we host, the impact goes far beyond medals and headlines. It inspires a generation. It generates huge economic and community impact. It brings the country together in excitement and joy.

“Hosting in 2029 would bring the world’s best athletes back to British soil but more importantly, it would inspire a new generation to get involved in the most diverse and inclusive sport there is. Some of us were lucky enough to experience a home crowd at London 2012 and 2017. Some of us volunteered, others were in the stands. All of us were inspired. That spark set many of us on our journeys, just as it did for so many thousands of other young people who’ve gone on to join clubs, coach, officiate, or simply fall in love with athletics.”

Cardiff-born Jackson won world championship gold over the 110m hurdles in Stuttgart in 1993 and repeated the feat six years later in Seville.

Meanwhile, Llanelli’s Greene was crowned 400m hurdles world champion in Daegu back in 2011.

Another Cardiff athlete, Lynn “The Leap” Davies, never had the opportunity to compete at the official World Championships as they weren’t introduced until 1983, but the Welsh sporting legend is joined amongst the signatories by two more compatriots who have medalled at the event.

Iwan Thomas MBE won 4x400m relay gold in Athens alongside fellow Welshman Jamie Baulch in 1997, while Christian Malcolm won 4x100m bronze medals at the 2005 world championships in Helsinki and the 2007 event in Osaka.

The letter, penned one week before Chancellor Rachel Reeves presents her spending review, emphasises the impact a London games would have on the country’s finances, as well as its sporting legacy.

It is estimated the event would deliver more than £400m in economic and community impact across the United Kingdom, including Wales.

The athletes’ intervention adds further weight to the London 2029 campaign, led by Athletic Ventures, the joint venture between UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and the Great Run Company. The bid proposes a world-class Championships at the London Stadium, requiring a one-off injection of public funding in 2028.

“This is the moment to deliver something extraordinary,” said Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the London Marathon and co-founder of Athletic Ventures.

“London 2029 is not a risk; it’s about return on investment for the UK. Generations of athletes know the inspirational power of a home Championships, but this is about more than medals. It’s a vision for what this country can achieve.”

Jack Buckner, CEO of UK Athletics and co-founder of Athletic Ventures, said: “This is a bid rooted in credibility and ambition.

“We know what home support can achieve and when our greatest athletes from past and present are unified with one message, their call should not be ignored.

“With London 2029, we have the chance to deliver a World Championships that lifts the nation, inspires the next generation, and showcases Britain at its very best. We’re ready. Now we need the Government to stand with us.”

Among the current crop of Welsh world class athletes supporting the bid is Jeremiah Azu, who since returning to train in Wales this year has won the British, European and World indoor 60m titles, following his relay medal at last year’s Paris Olympics.

The Cardiff sprinter is joined by multiple Welsh middle distance record holder Melissa Courtney-Bryant, who has already run the qualifying time for this year’s World Athletics Championships in China and Swansea 400m runner Joe Brier, who represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.