Thousands of seats remained empty at Birmingham's Alexander Stadium during the European Athletics Championships, drawing criticism from coaches, athletes, and commentators. Figures from the organizers indicated that the stadium was only 55% full on Monday morning, rising slightly to 59% by the evening, and then dropping back to 56% on Tuesday morning.
This lack of full attendance has led to public commentary from those involved in the sport. Jenny Meadows, co-coach to British athlete Keely Hodgkinson, expressed disappointment on social media, stating, "Believe it's full for some final evenings but a shame we couldn't fill the stadium for the duration." British Olympian Sharron Davies also took to social media, emphasizing the need for affordability to ensure full stadiums and promote sport. "We must bid for more events but we must make it affordable, so we get to enjoy it first hand, fill stadiums, support our athletes, promote our country & inspire generations to come to love sport," Davies posted.
Beyond attendance issues, Davies also criticized the pricing of concessions, noting that official food vendors were selling pork rolls for £18.50 and hot dogs for £15.
During the BBC's coverage of the Women's 100m final on Monday night, commentator Steve Cram also noted the sparse crowds. "Little disappointing in terms of spectators I have to say that, particularly down the back straight there," Cram said. "There's not many people at all in those stands. I'm sure Birmingham is going to get to grips with these champs pretty quickly."
The attendance figures reveal that nearly 10,000 seats were empty at the Alexander Stadium on Monday alone. The championship is scheduled to continue, with hopes that attendance will improve for later events.