Keely Hodgkinson pleads for athletics to remain at the London stadium amid financial concern

Keely Hodgkinson has spelled out her hope for athletics to retain its presence at the London Stadium amid fears the sport will be bought out of the iconic Olympic venue by West Ham.

With UK Athletics in a poor financial position, it has long been mooted that they could cash in on their long-term lease to use the stadium each summer.

The topic will doubtless be raised again this Sunday when track and field returns to the Olympic Park for the first time in four years for the rebranded London Athletics Meet, formerly the Anniversary Games. 

Hodgkinson, who compete in the stadium for the first time, believes it is important that her sport does not lose its foothold in the capital, despite the existence of alternative sites in Birmingham and Manchester, where she lives.

She told Mail Sport: ‘Birmingham is a nice track, but London is the capital and well known all over the world. I’m sure there’d be some people in Europe and America, who if you asked where’s Manchester, they wouldn’t have a clue. But everybody knows London and everyone associates that with the Olympics as well so I think it’s a special place.

Hodgkinson labelled the Olympic venue as a ‘special place’ and fears for its future

‘I never thought I’d get a chance to race in London so I am really happy to race there – I thought I missed that era. It would be nice to keep that stadium and not lose it to the footballers.’ 

The Olympic silver medallist added: ‘I think they should host more events in the UK because we actually fill up stadiums.

‘We bring people in and I think we need it in this country as well.’

UK Athletics was handed £150,000 of lottery money by UK Sport to help stage the meet after fears it could lose about £500,000. With Hodgkinson among a number of the world’s leading athletes competing, a crowd of almost 50,000 is expected on Sunday.