United fan Hodgkinson throws jab at relegation-threatened West Ham over London Stadium row
Reading Time: 3min | Sun. 29.03.26. | 22:55
World Athletics had made it clear to bidding cities, which also include Rome, Munich and Nairobi as well as a mooted Indian city, that the championships should be the grand finale to the athletics season
Newly crowned World Indoor 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson has poked fun at Premier League side West Ham by claiming Great Britain will win more medals at the London Stadium than the Hammers have "in their entire history" if the 2029 World Athletics Championships are held in the English capital.
Last year the UK Government confirmed its support for London's bid to host the event for the first time since 2017, with ministers also backing a bid for the World Para Athletics Championships.The bid has received backing from London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
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If successful, the bid would see the championships return to West Ham's London Stadium although, according to reports, the Premier League side have not yet agreed to allow the venue to be used.
Earlier this month, the Hammers maintained they have a "contractual right ensuring West Ham United games take priority during the football season".
World Athletics usually stages the championships in either August or September, which would typically clash with English football's fixture schedule.
Replying to a post on X speculating that West Ham's alleged stance could scupper London's bid, the Olympic 800m champion saw the funny side.
"The GB team will bring back more medals to that stadium than West Ham have seen in their entire history," Hodgkinson said.
West Ham have won nine major trophies in their history, including three FA Cup titles and the 2022-23 Uefa Conference League.
Keely Hodgkinson vs West Ham wasn't on our 2026 bingo card 👀 pic.twitter.com/f9SuPzL5Ck
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 26, 2026
They have had an underwhelming campaign this season with the club in the Premier League relegation zone, one point from safety.
The 62,500-capacity London Stadium was built for the 2012 London Olympics and is owned by London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).
West Ham left their former ground Upton Park in 2016 to move to the London Stadium and pay LLDC £2.5m annually as part of a 99-year lease for the ground.
The stadium has continued to host athletics events since West Ham's move, including the 2017 World Athletics Championships and Diamond League meets.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe says the federation had made it clear to bidding cities, which also include Rome, Munich and Nairobi as well as a mooted Indian city, that the world championships should be the grand finale to the athletics season.
"It’s really difficult for me because I have a view, but I have to be scrupulously neutral, because London is clearly not the only bid out there,” Lord Coe said.
"All I would say is that I would hope that there is a recognition that outside the Olympic Games and the World Cup, this is the third-largest sporting gathering in a four-year cycle. I do ask cities to try to accommodate us. There has to be a recognition that it’s a big global sport."
The initial deadline for bids for both the 2029 and 2031 world championships is 3 April, although final submissions are not required until 5 August. The announcement of the winning cities will be made in September.