UK Sport gives UKA £150k to help stage London Diamond League

Cash-strapped governing body will receive up to £150,000 to assist the organisation of next month’s event in the London Stadium

UK Sport has pledged up to £150,000 to support the staging of the Diamond League in London on July 23.

The money will come from National Lottery major event funding and UK Sport say it is “designed to cover a proportion of the projected deficit in hosting this year’s event and support a transition towards the long term viability of the UK hosting an annual Diamond League meeting”.

It follows UK Sport’s investment of £1.45m in the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, and £3m in the 2026 European Championships in Birmingham.

Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport, said: “We have a talented group of British athletes who we are looking forward to seeing competing on the Diamond League stage in London in just a few weeks’ time. This is a great opportunity for the British public to see world-class athletics up close just a year out from the Paris Olympic Games.

“We want the UK to remain on the Diamond League calendar and for the event to become financially sustainable as quickly as possible. We are looking forward to working collaboratively with our colleagues at UK Athletics in the build up to the event and beyond to try to ensure this happens.”

The Diamond League is set to feature many of Britain’s leading stars such as Jake Wightman, Eilish McColgan and Dina Asher-Smith plus international athletes like Femke Bol and Sifan Hassan, with US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson the latest big-name signing this week.

Jack Buckner, UKA chief executive, said: “It’s great that UK Sport are supporting this summer’s Diamond League at the Olympic stadium. As well as continuing the support they have given to major athletics events over many years, it is recognition that it forms a key part of the athlete journey – hosting Diamond League athletics in the UK gives the GB and NI team the best possible build up and support towards major championship success.

“We’re grateful to UK Sport for this award, and look forward to working with them around the long term sustainability of athletics events staged in the UK.”

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