Samsung Diamond League logo (© IAAF.org)
The English city of Birmingham will welcome the world’s top athletes next summer after the City Council signed a three-year deal with UKA, the governing body for athletics in Britain, to bring the prestigious Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix to the Alexander Stadium on Sunday 10 July 2011.
The former Aviva British Grand Prix was held in Gateshead in 2010 as part of the Samsung Diamond League, and Birmingham now takes over as host for the meeting, one of 14 world cities which make up the series next year.
Leader of Birmingham City Council Mike Whitby has hailed the deal as: "another major coup for Birmingham, underlining our status as Britain’s Sporting City."
UKA Chief Executive Niels de Vos says Birmingham sports fans can look forward to elite competition featuring a host of major stars: "We are delighted to be bringing the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix to the City as part of the Samsung Diamond League. The people of Birmingham will get to see the world’s greatest athletes on their doorstep in the run up to the Olympics."
Launched this summer, the Samsung Diamond League is made up of 14 meetings spread across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the USA, showcasing 32 athletics disciplines featuring the cream of world talent.
Plans for a £12.25 million redevelopment of the Birmingham Alexander Stadium were given the green-light in September, with work already underway on a new 5000-seater stand.
Work is scheduled to finish in May and Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture Cllr Martin Mullaney is relishing the prospect of welcoming top global stars to the new-look stadium.
He said: "We’re developing the stadium because we want to attract high profile events to the city and they don’t come much higher profile than the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix and the Samsung Diamond League."
Samsung Diamond League
2011 Dates
Fri 6 May Doha QAT
Sun 15 May Shanghai CHN
Thu 26 May Rome ITA
Sat 4 Jun Eugene USA
Thu 9 Jun Oslo NOR
Sat 11 Jun New York USA
Thu 30 Jun Lausanne SUI
Fri 8 Jul Paris FRA
Sun 10 Jul Birmingham GBR
Fri 22 Jul Monaco MON
Fri 29 Jul Stockholm SWE
Fri 5 /Sat 6 Aug London GBR
Thu 8 Sep Zurich SUI
Fri 16 Sep Brussels BEL
