By Duncan Mackay at the Olympic Stadium in London

Mo Farah Birmingham Diamond LeagueJuly 24 - British Athletics have signed a new deal with the BBC to continue showing the sport on terrestrial television through until 2020, it was announced here today.


It ensures that British Athletics' grand prix events, including the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games, which is due to be held here this weekend to mark a year since the start of London 2012, and other major domestic events,will continue to be broadcast on free-to-air television.

The deal was announced at a press conference attended by Sebastian Coe, the former chairman of London 2012 and double Olympic 1500 metres gold medallist, and Justin King, chief executive of Sainsbury's, the sponsors of this weekend's three-day meeting, which includes the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League on Friday and Saturday (July 26 and 27) and an event to celebrate the Paralympics on Sunday (July 28). 

All three days sold out within 90 minutes of tickets going on sale.

Niels de Vos Olympic Stadium July 24 2013UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos is confident that the new television deal with the BBC will help continue the momentum from last year's successful Olympics and Paralympics

"British Athletics is absolutely delighted with the new deal with the BBC," said Niels de Vos, chief executive of British Athletics.

"It will ensure that our elite events will be broadcast to the widest possible audience over the next seven years until at least 2020.

"We know that world-class athletics on the BBC really fuels the public passion for the sport, and we could not ask for a better partnership to showcase our sport.

"The commitment the BBC have shown and the length of the deal confirms the commercial appeal of the sport."

The BBC have shown domestic athletics since London hosted the 1948 Olympics and, apart from brief spells when it has been shown on ITV and Channel 4, have been the sport's main broadcaster since.

Their current deal is due to end after next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

"We're proud to continue our association with British Athletics," said Barbara Slater, the BBC's director of sport.

"This deal enables BBC Sport to bring the best of top-flight UK competition to audiences complementing our coverage of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2016 Olympics in Rio and the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, making the BBC the place for audiences to follow the full story of the UK's top track and field athletes right through to 2020."

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