News
It’s officially 500 days to go until London 2017!
The first stage of track transformation is underway at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium ahead of the 2017 London World Athletics Championships.
A brand new track is being installed at the former Olympic Stadium and to mark the 500-day countdown, leading British athletes Perri Shakes-Drayton and Richard Whitehead will remove the finish line where Usain Bolt crossed to win Olympic 100m Gold.
The London 2012 track is being replaced with a brand new, super-fast surface, laid in time for the two World Championships next year. The new track will be laid in late spring in time for a range of fantastic events this summer including the London Anniversary Games in July.
Leading Olympian Perri Shakes-Drayton competed at London 2012 in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay. She said:
“Dreams were made when athletes like Usain Bolt crossed this famous finish line at the Olympics in 2012 and I hope to be creating new memories for Britain at the London 2017 World Championships.
I feel honoured to be a part of transforming this incredible track in time to make new memories for London 2017. It’s a symbolic and exciting day. The excitement of a major global event coming to London in 500 days’ time is what I’m really looking forward to. London 2017 will create memories which will last a lifetime.”
Meanwhile the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, said:
“Those balmy summer nights in 2012 when London staged the greatest Olympic and Paralympic games in history will never be forgotten and now we have another chance to host the world’s best athletes in the greatest city on earth. I am fully behind London 2017 as we begin the countdown to staging what unquestionably will be another unforgettable global sports event at our now iconic Olympic Park.”
Register for full ticket details now at London2017athletics.com/register.
