World class athletics is returning to the Don Valley Stadium. UK ATHLETICS announced today that it has awarded Sheffield the Norwich Union Classic, Grand Prix II meeting on Sunday 30th June 2002.
It will be the first time that the City has hosted a live televised athletics meeting since the summer Grand Prix in 1998. That meeting has gone down in history as it marked the retirement of one of Britain’s greatest ever athletes, Olympic silver medallist Roger Black.
‘The Don Valley Stadium is a high class venue and we are delighted to be returning with such an exciting meeting as the Norwich Union Classic’ said David Moorcroft, Chief Executive of UK Athletics. ‘As there are now more potential venues than available BBC televised domestic meetings, UK Athletics is currently considering operating a rotation policy. In practice, this will mean the major televised meetings are shared between a consortium of British stadiums. So while Gateshead International Stadium will not stage a televised meeting in 2002, the North East public can be assured that world class athletics will return in 2003’ he added.
The Norwich Union Classic falls just two weeks before the crucial Norwich Union Trials and AAA Championships in Birmingham, therefore providing a perfect opportunity for Britain’s top athletes to find their form before commencing the battle for places in the Norwich Union GB team for the European Championships in Munich in August. Indeed, some of the ‘home-grown’ talent on show at last year’s Grand Prix II meeting included Jonathan Edwards, Steve Backley, Paula Radcliffe, Mark Richardson and Dwain Chambers.
But as well as the best of British, the South Yorkshire public can also expect a huge array of the worlds greatest athletes to compete in Sheffield next summer – and they’ll have plenty of incentive to do so as the Norwich Union Classic is the richest Grand Prix II meeting on the circuit. Last year in Gateshead, $360,000 was on offer in prize money while any athlete breaking a world record stood to gain from an incredible $100,000 bonus.
Wayne Coyle, Sport and Events Manager for Sheffield City Council said ‘UK Athletics was impressed with our facilities and our ability to stage a high profile sporting spectacle which would capture the imagination of athletics fans and the general sporting public.’
To really get the atmosphere buzzing, before the athletics gets underway, there will be live coverage of football’s World Cup final on a giant video screen within the Don Valley Stadium. It should prove to be the perfect way to get the party going!
For further information please contact:
Andy Kay or Tim Stemp
Media Department
Fast Track
T: 020 7932 1700
M:07710 170494, 07931 764668