£2.2m funding shortfall for 2026 European Athletics

The Commonwealth Games was hosted in Alexander Stadium in 2022

The 2026 European Athletics Championships are at risk of being moved from Birmingham due to a £2.2m funding shortfall.

Birmingham City Council was given £13.7m for the event in March 2023 but has since appealed for more money to bridge the funding gap.

West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) said securing the funding was "essential" for the event to remain in the city.

The council, which declared itself bankrupt in September, has requested to reallocate funds from related programmes towards the costs of the championships themselves.

If approved by WMCA and the government, £3m allocated for the Grassroots Sports Programme would be redirected to the championships, meaning the programme would not be delivered in full.

Communities could be impacted if replacement sport programmes were not secured, the WMCA added.

The authority also warned that failing to secure the funding could cause "detrimental impacts" to the city, region and UK.

Birmingham City Council had originally agreed to underwrite the full cost of staging the championships at the Alexander Stadium as part of a joint bid with UK Athletics and UK Sport.

The issue will be discussed by the WMCA board on January 12.