London named Top Global Sport City for the sixth consecutive Year
London was today named number one Global Sports City by Sportcal’s Global Sports Cities Index, topping the list for the sixth consecutive year, ahead of Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Moscow and Doha, the other cities making up the top five this year.
This year’s sporting highlights in London include four NFL games as part of the NFL International Series, which will be taking place in the Autumn, and the annual festival of cycling Prudential RideLondon. London will also welcome the IAAF World Championships and the World Para Athletics Championships in the summer, with both competitions taking place at the London Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Iain Edmondson, Head of Major Events at London & Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional company for the city, said: “London is one of the best cities in the world for sporting events, and this accolade is recognition of the city’s achievements. We will carry on working hard to attract elite sporting championships, which deliver strong economic benefit, as well as great entertainment and many opportunities to participate for Londoners and visitors alike.”
Mike Laflin, CEO of Sportcal, added: “London continues to demonstrate it is one of the leading global sports cities with the hosting of the IAAF World Athletics Championships and the World ParaAthletics Championships. Both these events will generate a huge legacy for London and athletics”
In recent years, London has proved a real draw for major sporting events, with a string of high-profile international competitions, such as the Tour de France 2014, EuroHockey Championships 2015, the European Swimming Championships 2015, the Rugby World Cup 2015 and the cycling’s UCI Track World Championships 2016.
Sportcal’s Global Sports Cities Index is a ranking based on in-depth analysis of 730 sports events across 151 categories Sportcal’s Global Sports Cities Index top 100 can be viewed here.
