The decision was made at the World Athletics Council in Monaco on Wednesday, December 1 and it means that the UK will host the championships for the third time, after Birmingham in 2003 and 2018. It will also be the first time that Scotland has held the three-day event.
In 2019, Glasgow hosted the European Indoor Championships and in February the Emirates Arena will be the venue for European Athletics’ Dynamic New Athletics event – an innovative, team-based competition which will see England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Turkey and Spain go head-to-head.
The Scottish city also has a history of hosting major outdoor athletics championships, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
It is set to be quite a few years for athletics in the UK with Birmingham hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
You won’t be short of seeing the world’s best athletes compete indoors over the next few years as well with Belgrade and Nanjing hosting the 2022 and 2023 championships respectively.
Since the inaugural event in Paris 36 years ago, the championships have usually been held biennially but the pandemic changed all of that, meaning that we’ll now have three competitions in as many years.
You can expect the likes of Scottish favourites such as Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie and Jake Wightman to be strutting their stuff around the 200m oval track at the Emirates Arena.
Muir won two golds in the 1500m and 3000m at the 2019 European Indoor Championships in Glasgow and she’ll be hopeful to repeat that medal feat in 2024 at world level.
Ian Beattie, chair of UK Athletics, said: “We are delighted to be awarded the opportunity to host the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships. World Athletics have demonstrated their confidence in the UK to host global athletics championships once again, and history has shown time and time again our ability to deliver amazing events.
“We’re thrilled with the outcome and look forward to a successful Championships working alongside our partners that will truly give all athletes a fantastic stage upon which to perform.”
Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, added: “I’m delighted that Glasgow has been chosen to host the prestigious World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2024. This will underline Scotland’s global reputation as the perfect stage for events and is welcome news as we look to recover from the pandemic.”
Dame Katherine Grainger, chair of UK Sport, added: “I am delighted that with our event hosting partners, we have secured another world class event to take place in Scotland. As part of our new strategy to reach, inspire and unite communities across the UK, ensuring a wide geographical reach is of utmost importance to us. The National Lottery investment into this event will help ensure a truly inspirational event, both on and off the field of play.”
Source: Tim Adams
I am a young and vibrant sports journalist from Ghana, a member of the Sports Writers’ Association of Ghana(SWAG), and working with Sports Preview Ghana and sports reporting outfit poised to bring all the latest and trending sports news around the globe.
