Following the huge success of the Paralympics earlier this year, Johnson has officially opened discussions with the IPC, UK Athletics and UK Sport about London hosting the Championships in July 2017, just a month before it is due to stage the World Athletics Championships.

If successful, London would become the first city to host the two events side by side, which it is hoped would recreate the summer of sport which transformed the capital this year.

Figures officially released today by London 2012 revealed that a total of 1,185,976 tickets were sold for athletics during the Paralympics - smashing every previous record in the book.

Ed Warner, the chairman of UK Athletics, predicted that huge crowds would also watch an IPC Athletics World Championships in London.

"It has the potential to transform that event," he said here at the launch of UK Sport's Gold Event Series, which aims to build on the legacy of London 2012 by helping Britain bid for major events.


"In Christchurch last year you had a smattering of fans in a small stadium.

"It'll be in Lyon next summer and there will be a small number of fans in a relatively small stadium.

"In 2017 there's the opportunity to have tens of thousands of people every day watching disability athletics.

"The IPC, I believe, would be very excited at that prospect because it can take that event - which deserves, to my mind, a big stage - for the first time to serious television coverage and a serious audience."

Last year's Championships in Christchurch attracted 1,060 entries from 80 countries with the highlight of the event being the T44 100 metres where South Africa's Oscar Pistorius suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of American Jerome Singleton.

Seventh in that race was Britain's Jonnie Peacock, who has since emerged as the latest Paralympic star following his victory in the 100m at London 2012, when the 19-year-old from Cambridge beat both Pistorius and Singleton in one of the most memorable races of the Games.


UK Athletics had pledged to bid for the event as part of its successful campaign in November 2011 to host the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Championships.

But Warner may have to keep a low profile during the campaign as he is also chairman of the IPC's Athletics Sport Technical Committee.

"I will step aside while any decision is made," he said.

A final announcement on whether London's bid is successful is expected to be made within the next month. 

The 2015 Championships are also due to be awarded at the same time.