Britain loses world athletics

Moorcroft backed the failed Picketts Lock project

The International Association of Athletics Federations decided on Monday to reopen bidding for the 2005 World Championships.

The announcement comes following the British government's decision to abandon plans for a new stadium at Picketts Lock in north London.

"The bidding will be reopened in two days and the decision will be taken next spring," said IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai.

"Where or when we don't know," he added.

I don't think Sheffield is in the best position after what happened in London

IAAF president
Lamine Diack

Gyulai said a letter from the British government and the national governing body UK Athletics had been shown to all the federation's council members on Monday.

However, Britain's request for the IAAF to switch the championships from London to the northern city of Sheffield had not been discussed at the council meeting.

Huge embarrassment

But Gyulai added that Sheffield could still apply to host the championships.

The announcement comes less than a week after a damning report by a Parliamentary committee into abortive plans to build a stadium to host the 2005 event in north London.

The decision to shelve plans for a new stadium has been a huge embarrassment for Britain and could fatally damage a potential UK bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

IAAF president Lamine Diack said on Monday that Britain's poor handling of the London bid for the 2005 Championships had damaged the prospect of a successful one from Sheffield.

"I don't think Sheffield is in the best position after what happened in London," he told BBC Five Live.

"The London bid was not run properly. We allocated the games to London knowing there was no stadium.

"It is not the best way to have a chance to win against a city like Berlin," he added.

Rome, which has ambitions to host the 2012 Olympics, was a leading candidate to hold the 2005 championships.

Brussels, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin and Stuttgart are other possibilities.