UK Sport are considering bidding for the 2027 World Athletics Championships - potentially meaning further disruption to West Ham for many years to come.
The funding agency, who recently approved Birmingham's bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games have confirmed that the tournament is a "strategic priority" - along with other international events such as the 2023 Champions League Final.Embed from Getty Images
West Ham, whose home fixtures are staged at the Stratford-based stadium were forced to play the first FOUR games of the current campaign away from home as a result of this summer's World Athletics Championships being held at the Olympic Stadium.
And the negative impact of that is clear to see, with the Hammers languishing in the bottom third of the Premier League as a result of having to play 'catch up' following consecutive defeats at Manchester United, Southampton and Newcastle.
Since staging the 2012 Olympic Games, the OS has been used to stage numerous sporting events including rugby and athletics, plus music concerts for bands such as AC/DC and Depeche Mode.
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Early next year the stadium will feature plus the Muller Anniversary Games in July and a further event entitled "The Meet" in July 2018., meaning that the stadium would be unable to host the qualifying rounds of European competition (Europa & Champions League).
Despite the huge potential for further disruption, West Ham vice chair Karren Brady recently insisted that this season's situation was very much a one-off. "That's part of the legacy. It's a once-in-a-lifetime situation and it's the only time our games won't take precedence," she told Sky Sports' Debate Show last month.
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