Kilty backs call for championships bid

RICHARD Kilty has called on the Prime Minister to back a bid to bring one of the world’s biggest sporting events back to the United Kingdom.

- By WILL JENNINGS

The ‘Teesside Tornado, who bagged Olympic 4x100m bronze in Paris last summer, is among the signatories in a powerful open letter calling on ministers to bring the World Athletics Championships to London in 2029.

Also joining the list of more than 100 supporters are fellow North East stars Steve Cram, Sir Brendan Foster and Laura Weightman. They are joined by Sir Mo Farah, Keely Hodgkinson, Dame Kelly Holmes, Jonathan Edwards, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Paula Radcliffe, Dina Asher-Smith and Daley Thompson.

The involvement of the athletes lends additional support to the London 2029 campaign, spearheaded by Athletic Ventures - a collaboration between UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and the Great Run Company.

The bid outlines plans for a world-class championships at the London Stadium, calling for just one year of public funding in 2028, estimated at £45m, and projecting a national economic boost of over £400m.