Two Four Six Sports will deliver the 2026 Birmingham European Athletics Championships, one of the legacy events for the redeveloped Alexander Stadium.
Stephen Brown, as the founder of Two Four Six Sports, in his position as interim CEO of the Championships will lead the delivery.
Brown previously served as CEO for last year’s Rugby League World Cup, and he was instrumental in the delivery of the first-ever staging of simultaneous men’s, women’s and wheelchair games in the tournament’s history.
It's official! 🙌
— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) November 11, 2022
Birmingham 🇬🇧 has been awarded the 2026 European Athletics Championships! 😍 pic.twitter.com/DvUgY1pP1I
“I am delighted that Two Four Six Sports has been contracted for this exciting opportunity and I will fulfil the role of interim chief operating officer for the European Athletics Championships in 2026,” said Brown.
“I am very grateful to Birmingham City Council, UK Athletics and UK Sport for giving me this opportunity and putting their trust in me.
“I am enthusiastic to be able to learn and work in a new sport in what is an exciting time for mega events in the UK and Birmingham and I look forward to building on the recent success of the Commonwealth Games.”
Birmingham was awarded hosting rights for the 2026 edition of the European Athletics Championships back in November. The Championships will mark the first time that a British city has hosted the event and the award came after Alexander Stadium served as the main venue for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Alexander Stadium hosted a sold-out athletics programme during the Commonwealth Games. The venue underwent a £72m (€82.7m/$89.6m) revamp to make it Games-ready, with its permanent capacity increasing from 12,700 to 18,000. Temporary seating meant that Alexander Stadium could host up to 30,000 spectators during the Games.
Brown said: “I am very grateful to Birmingham City Council, UK Athletics and UK Sport for giving me this opportunity and putting their trust in me.
Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, added, “For a major international sporting event like this, it’s essential we have someone of Stephen’s calibre on board.
“He played a crucial role in the success of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup and he knows exactly what needs to be done. I’m delighted to welcome Stephen to Birmingham and look forward to working with him as we further implement our 10-year Major Sporting Events Strategy.”