The International Amateur Athletics Federation have reopened bidding to host the World Championships in 2005, following the British Government's decision not to build a new athletics arena in London.
In a statement released after a meeting of the council, the IAAF confirmed: "The bidding will be reopened in two days and the decision will be taken next spring." A British plea to hold the championships in Sheffield instead of London looks to have failed, although the city can tender a bid in the new process.
The British Government's decision not to build a stadium at Picketts Lock in North London led to the right to host the championship being withdrawn. If they wish to host the championships, it now seems certain that the British bid will have to compete with another set of countries, for the right to host the third biggest sporting event in the world.
IAAF officials said Rome, which is considering a bid for the 2012 Olympics, was likely to be a strong candidate. Others possible candidates are the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Madrid and Germany's Stuttgart and Berlin. Hungary and Belgium are also expected to express an interest should, as expected, the process start all over again.
Paris will host the 2003 championships at the Stade de France, the venue of the 1998 World Cup final.
Filed by John Raftery
