Sainsbury's to sponsor British Athletics summer series

Mo Farah is among the big names taking part in the Sainsbury's Summer Series

Sainsbury's has been named as title sponsor of three major British Athletics events this summer.

The Sainsbury's Summer Series includes two Birmingham meetings and one at the Olympic Park in London.

Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford headline 11 Olympic medallists confirmed to compete at a Grand Prix event at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium.

The new agreement follows the retailer's high-profile sponsorship of the 2012 Paralympic Games.

"We said at the time that we saw our involvement as much more than a one-off sponsorship - we wanted to be part of the movement and to play our part in ensuring a lasting legacy building on the momentum created last summer," said Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King.

The firm says that its legacy programme has already seen £2m of funding for schools, clubs and organisations "to ensure that the next generation of Paralympic athletes get the support and coaching they need".

The Sainsbury's Summer Series will start with the Grand Prix event at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham on 29 and 30 June.

It will be followed by the British Championships at the same stadium between 12 and 14 July.

The trio of events culminates with the Anniversary Games at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London between 26 and 28 July.