West Ham face being without their stadium for up to three weeks if London is awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships.
Last weekend, the Government pledged £45million of public funds to support a bid to stage the World Championships at the London Stadium in four years’ time.
However, World Athletics’ preference is for the event to be held in September, unlike the last time it was hosted in London in 2017 and took place at the start of August.
That would mean the athletics meet would clash with the start of the 2029-2020 football season and would force West Ham to temporarily move out of their home.
While the World Championships is only nine days long, organisers would still need around four days before the event to make the necessary changes to the London Stadium to accommodate the athletics track, before returning it to normal.
The disruption facing West Ham would be minimised if the athletics extravaganza was staged at the same time as football’s traditional international break in September.
West Ham could be forced to vacate their stadium for three weeks if London is awarded the 2029 World Athletics Championships
The Government last week backed a bid to host the event at the London Stadium in four years’ time
However, the Hammers may still have to play a run of Premier League matches away from home, as well as any possible European ties.
UK Athletics chief executive Jack Buckner admitted he would be ‘having discussions’ with West Ham in the coming weeks ahead of their 2029 bid being officially lodged at the end of the summer.
A London Stadium spokesperson said: ‘We are delighted that London Stadium is seen as a potential venue for the World Athletics Championships in 2029, one of the biggest events on the world sporting calendar.
‘The 2017 Championships we hosted to sold-out crowds were a huge success, bringing investment and more than £100million in economic benefits to London.
‘It is early days in the process for 2029 and full details of any bid are to be developed, including potential dates for the event.
‘During this process we will work closely with all our stakeholders, including West Ham, to make sure any benefits to the venue, city and country are considered fully alongside all other requirements.’
This year’s World Championships take place in Tokyo from September 13 to 21, while the 2027 event in Beijing is scheduled for September 11 to 19.
