British Athletics have today confirmed that the Manchester Regional Arena will play host to the British Athletics Championships from next year (2020) through to 2022.
The three-year partnership means athletes will be competing for British Championship titles and team places at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, the IAAF World Championships Eugene 2021 and European Championships in 2022, in the north west for the first time in 12 years.
Manchester previously hosted the British Championships between 2005-2007, and the British Athletics Major Event Director Cherry Alexander OBE is excited to take the flagship event back up the M6 to the 6000-seater facility.
She said: “It’s brilliant to be returning to Manchester with our British Championships from 2020. The sport has enjoyed some iconic moments at the facility and we have wonderful memories of our athletes warming up for their Commonwealth Games races on that very track.
“We’ve had great experience working with the venue in previous years, not just from our Championships but also in their staging of the Manchester International in last few years. The City is investing in the sport and the venue and I’m looking forward to working with them to help grow the audience further.
“The whole area is geared up for sport and activity and we’ll also be staging other events in and around the weekend such as our Couch to 5k for women.”
Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Skills, Culture and Leisure said: “As a world-class sporting city, Manchester is geared up to host events of this stature and we can’t wait to welcome Britain’s finest athletes back to the Regional Arena.
“Through hosting the British Championships, we will see Mancunians being inspired by watching the very best athletes in action and also benefiting from the chance to take part in special events surrounding the main tournament.
“We’re proud to support local athletics and this announcement is a huge boost to our plans to get even more Manchester residents participating in sports.”
