The IAAF has announced that Birmingham will host the World Indoor Championships in 2018, after appointing the 2016 edition to Portland, Oregon.
The 2018 World Indoor Championships will take place at the National Indoor Arena. A popular venue for international events, the arena holds the annual indoor grand prix and has been successful with European and World Indoor competitions in the past, last hosting the World Indoor Championships in 2003.
The NIA is set for a refurbishment due to finish in 2014 and £26 million will be spent on revamping the already impressive arena, increasing the seating capacity to 12,500.
It is an exciting time for athletics in the UK, not just with a great crop of young athletes coming through, but also now with the opportunity to host two world athletics championships in just over a year. After a successful bid for London 2017, the capital will host its first IAAF World Championships in the Olympic Stadium; perhaps initiating another golden age of British athletics.
