Olympian Keely Hodgkinson has riled up West Ham United’s fanbase in a row over London Stadium being used for the 2029 World Athletics Championships.
The Premier League club have reportedly blocked the use of the stadium, which was originally built for the 2012 London Olympics, because it would clash with the football season.
World Athletics president, Sebastian Coe, wants the 2029 world championships to be held in London in September, but the capital’s bid has been thrown into jeopardy after the East London club refused to vacate the ground for roughly three weeks at the start of the football season.
Hodgkinson, an Olympic gold medallist who won the World Indoor Championships 800m final on Sunday, wrote on X: “The GB team will bring back more medals to that stadium than West Ham have seen in their entire history.”
The life-long Manchester United fan is the reigning Olympic champion at 800m after winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games.
In total, she has won two Olympic medals having also won silver at the same distance in 2020 and is a two-time European champion in the 800m, as well as the indoor record holder.
But the 24-year-old’s remark did not go down well with some Irons fans.
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“Show some respect to West Ham which is a fine institution with the decent folk who support them. Cheap laugh and not a good look,” one supporter posted.
Another took issue with Hodgkinson’s calculations: “Strictly speaking each player gets a medal for a trophy win. So over the entire history that’s more medals than you can dream of.”
West Ham‘s last major title came in 2023, when they won the Europa Conference League – Europe’s third-tier club competition.
Over the club’s more than 130-year history, they have won nine major trophies, including three FA Cups and a Cup Winners Cup triumph.
‘A two-footed challenge’
Hodgkinson’s post was also met with support from athletics fans, with one writing: “Just when you thought you couldn’t love Keely any more she comes up with this banger of a tweet.”
Another called her post “the tweet equivalent of a two-footed challenge”.
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The London Stadium was originally built for the 2012 summer Olympics, and hosted a number of events at those Games, before becoming the home of West Ham after the club left their former ground, Upton Park, in 2016.
The Hammers secured tenancy of the Olympic stadium in 2013 and currently rent the ground, but retains priority during the football season.
The 68,000-capacity stadium has continued to hold athletics events, including the World Championships in 2017 and Diamond League meets.
