The UK’s ambitions to bring the World Athletics Championships back to London in 2029 have hit an early hurdle. A year after the government confirmed plans to bid, The Guardian reports that the effort is in doubt after West Ham United refused to make the London Stadium, the former Olympic venue, available for the event. The standoff has even drawn commentary from an Olympian, who first mocked the club’s decision before urging the Hammers and their owners to reconsider.

That is despite Keely Hodgkinson using her X account to have a little bit of fun, which has since turned into a spat between the West Ham faithful and the two-time Olympic medalist. But Hodgkinson has now taken to X again, albeit this time to make a heartfelt request from the club.

“Thoroughly enjoyed the rattled comments under this, but in all seriousness, to have a global championships back in London would be incredible for our sport,” Hodgkinson wrote on her X profile. “I didn’t think we’d get the opportunity again during my career, the British crowd would fill it every day.”

“Seems silly for London to be taken out of the running, over a football team not compromising on a stadium they pay RENT for when it’s only a few extra away games, everything’s always all about money and never moments. let us have this moment!!! pretty please 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🤝🤝🤝🤝💕💕💕💕”

The UK launched its bid in 2025, aiming to bring one of the world’s biggest athletics events back to London, with the London Stadium at its heart. Best known as West Ham United’s home ground, the venue also hosted the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

That’s why the government selected it as the proposed venue for the 2029 World Athletics Championships bid. However, the plan has since run into trouble.

According to The Guardian, the club is unwilling to give up the stadium, as doing so would mean three weeks without home games in September, right at the start of the 2029-30 football season.

Meanwhile, The Daily Mail further reports that West Ham remain firm in their stance, insisting that hosting their league fixtures will take priority during the season.

That led to Keely Hodgkinson poking fun at them when the 2026 World Indoors Championship gold medalist took to her X account and retweeted a tweet about the matter.

“The GB team will bring back more medals to that stadium than west ham have seen in their entire history 🫢🫶🏼😂 ,” Hodgkinson wrote on X.

The situation has clearly changed now, as while Hodgkinson stands by her original tweet, the track and field star also wants to compete in what will likely be the only major event during her career held in Great Britain. But Lord Sebastian Coe is now worried that West Ham’s refusal to let the London Stadium will hurt their hosting bid for the 2029 World Athletics Championships.

Sebastian Coe on London’s bid for 2029 World Athletics Championships

That’s because World Athletics has made it crystal clear to all potential host cities that the 2029 World Athletics Championships will be the grand finale to the season. Thus, any stadium issues or other potential problems could hamper the city’s bid to host the event. What makes it even more problematic for London is the fact that they aren’t the only ones in contention for the bid.

According to the Guardian, Rome, Munich, Nairobi, and a potential unnamed Indian city are in the mix, as World Athletics president Sebastian Coe attested in an interview.

“It’s really difficult for me because I have a view, but I have to be scrupulously neutral, because London is clearly not the only bid out there,” Coe said, as per the Guardian.

“All I would say is that I would hope that there is a recognition that outside the Olympic Games and the World Cup, this is the third-largest sporting gathering in a four-year cycle. I do ask cities to try to accommodate us. There has to be a recognition that it’s a big global sport. This is not a gimme to anyone.”

Coe also dismissed any possibility of moving the 2029 World Athletics Championships to earlier in the summer, before the football season begins. While that would effectively satisfy both sides, organisers want the event to serve as the finale to the athletics season, a change that would require major adjustments to the global calendar and disrupt other competitions.