Criticism of empty seats and ticket prices at the EuropeansImage source, ReutersImage caption, Amy Hunt won the women’s 100m final on Monday evening but the stadium was nowhere near fullByEwan Somerville , BBC News, Kieran Fox, BBC Sport and Rachael Lewis, Reporting fromin Birmingham Published1 hour agoNearly 10,000 seats were empty at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium for the European Athletics Championships on Monday evening. A crowd of 13,623 watched as Britain’s 24-year-old sprinter Amy Hunt stormed to her first senior international title, in a stadium that has a capacity of 23,000.
Athletics supporters blamed ticket prices, with some describing them as “extortionate”, while BBC commentator Steve Cram commented that spectator numbers were a “little disappointing”.
But Birmingham 2026 organisers stated they were “delighted” with ticket sales, which have “far surpassed” their targets with “Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening sessions approaching sell-out, with several other sessions close to capacity”.
On Monday, Category A tickets for the home straight cost £150 with no concessions for juniors.
For the men’s 100m final on Tuesday, those same seats cost £110, again with no concessions – while a similar ticket for the same final in Rome two years ago was 88 euros (£75).
It is Britain’s first time hosting the championships in their 92-year history.
