Buckner calls Birmingham 2026 European Championships an epic success

UK Athletics chief executive Jack Buckner has described the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships as an “epic” success, highlighting the event’s television audience, ticket sales and impact on British athletics. He said the championships had produced major performances and left the sport in a stronger position, with the final session still to come when he assessed the event.

BBC viewing figures were a particular source of satisfaction. The championships drew about 3.8 million viewers on television before BBC iPlayer figures were included, while Friday-night audiences were understood to have exceeded four million. Buckner said the numbers had grown during the week and showed that athletics could reach wider audiences when prominent athletes delivered on the biggest stage.

Amy Hunt’s emergence was one of the main developments for Buckner. He also pointed to Keely Hodgkinson’s conduct and status as a role model, alongside the performances of the British 4x100m relay teams. Josh Kerr and Georgia Hunter Bell were among the other athletes he identified as figures capable of attracting attention beyond the sport. He said the championships had created conversations around several of them in relation to this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The competition contained a mixture of standout moments and disappointments for the British athletics chief. He praised the women’s 800 metres and the relays, while also highlighting the men’s 10,000m. The men’s 1,500m was more difficult for him personally because of its significance, adding to what he called a highly uneven but memorable championship.

Buckner also expects the event to produce a positive financial result, although he had not yet seen the final accounts and acknowledged there had been some late difficulties. The championships operated with a budget of about £28 million, compared with £600 million for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and £150 million for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Athletic Ventures, the organisation involving UK Athletics, London Marathon Events and The Great Run Company, is intended to make major athletics events profitable and help rebuild UK Athletics.

Ticket sales reached 73% overall, with schools and community groups involved in efforts to fill sessions. The event did not consistently sell out from the opening Monday, but the final four days were sold out. Buckner defended the overall ticketing performance while accepting that expectations in Britain are higher, saying the organisers still wanted to improve on the result.