Cllr Ian Ward, deputy leader of Birmingham CC, (left) and Duffy Mahoney, chief of sport performance for USA Track and Field, in front of the Council House in Birmingham
MUCH like London 2012, visiting teams for the IPC Championships and IAAF World Championships will use different parts of the UK to base themselves on the eve of the events in order to acclimatise.
Areas like Loughborough and Bristol are among them, and Birmingham will next July host the largest team of all – the United States. The US team, which is expected to number around 250 athletes, coaches, medics and support staff, will use the Birmingham High Performance Centre and Alexander Stadium – a familiar setting to them as they used this before London 2012.