Organizers Defend European Championships Ticket Prices After Sparse Crowd in Birmingham
Organisers said ticket sales have far surpassed targets as critics blamed £150 seats and transport problems for nearly 10,000 empty seats.
- Nearly 10,000 seats sat empty at Alexander Stadium for the European Athletics Championships on Monday evening, though organisers defended ticket sales, claiming they "have far surpassed our targets."
- Fans labeled ticket prices "extortionate," with Category A seats costing £150 on Monday; hosting both the European Championships and Commonwealth Games within one fortnight may have impacted attendance.
- Stadium occupancy reached only 59% on Monday evening; organisers stated "half of all the tickets" cost under £30, yet one attendee said mid-week premium pricing remains "a little off."
- Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy expects attendance to rise as the championships continue, citing upcoming men's 100m final; British Olympian Sharron Davies criticized food costs, saying events must remain affordable to "inspire generations to come to love sport."
- As Britain hosts these championships for the first time in their 92-year history, organisers maintain that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening sessions are approaching capacity.
47 Articles
47 Articles
A magnificent blue track in the 23,000-seat arena, British sprinters on fire at home for the first European Championships in a country steeped in athletics tradition: almost everything was in place for the event of the year on the Old Continent. Yet, it was hard to ignore the images of half-empty stands (more than 13,000 spectators according to the organizers) during the women's 100m final on Monday evening, which saw British sprinter Amy Hunt …
Amy Hunt’s Agent Calls Out ‘Crazy Prices’ as Empty Seats Raise Eyebrows at European Championships
The sight of vast empty sections at Alexander Stadium was hard to miss as Birmingham hosted the first-ever European Athletics Championships on UK soil. With just 13,623 spectators attending the opening evening session on August 10, despite a capacity of around 23,000, the sparse crowd quickly became impossible to ignore. Soon after, Amy Hunt’s agent Nick Hartwell was among those questioning the reason behind the low turnout. “Crazy prices. Such …
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At the Athletics-EM in Birmingham, the stadium is only sparsely filled on the first two days, which gives rise to criticism from an ex-world champion.
While the 2026 European Athletics Championships took place from 10 to 16 August 2026 in Birmingham, the start of the competition was under the fire of criticism due to the prices of places deemed too expensive.
Great Britain is hosting the European Championships for the first time ever. Then the stands echo with an empty atmosphere – while ticket prices are skyrocketing. – It's hard to understand what they were thinking, says Swedish sprinter Henrik Larsson.
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