2 April 2008

Birmingham has been selected to stage the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships on 11 October 2009.  The successful bid was made jointly by UK Athletics and Birmingham City Council and the decision was announced by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) following a presentation to their Council at a meeting in London.

Ed Warner, Chairman of UK Athletics said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Birmingham City Council once again to host this prestigious event. Everyone at UK Athletics is looking forward to putting on another top class sporting spectacle here in Birmingham and welcoming some of the world’s best runners.”

Councillor Ray Hassall, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture for Birmingham City Council said: “We are delighted to have been successful in our bid to stage this prestigious Championship. This event will raise the profile of Birmingham on an international level and up to 50 countries could send athletes to participate, which will lead to global television coverage for the city and there will also be a significant economic impact for Birmingham with hundreds of athletes, coaches and officials staying in the city for several days.”

He added: “We are looking forward to working alongside UK Athletics once again and to staging an event of which the city and the country can be proud.”

Previous winners of the World Half Marathon Championships have included Paula Radcliffe, who has won the women’s race three times, Liz McColgan and Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie.