Security operation at Alexander Stadium leaves fans and athletes held during European Athletics Championships
Dozens of athletes, including Britain’s Amy Hunt, and thousands of spectators were held inside Alexander Stadium during a security operation at the European Athletics Championships on Saturday night. A man in his 30s was arrested by West Midlands Police on suspicion of fraud.
Buses and coaches were prevented from leaving the venue while police carried out searches, leaving athletes, officials and spectators with little information about what was happening. Athletes started queuing for official transport at 10.15pm but did not reach their team hotels until about 12.45am, and teams were asked to return to the stadium’s high performance centre to stay warm. “Fortunately they kept the kitchens open for the athletes,” one team official said.
A full crowd of 23,000 had seen both British 4x100m relay teams win gold before thousands of people were unable to board buses to depart the site, which is about five miles from the city centre. Spectator Joanne Ray said she began queuing at 9.50pm and did not get on a bus until 11.15pm, adding: “There were mothers with babies strapped in carriers, disabled people in electric wheelchairs. They were absolutely frozen. And we were given no information.”
The first public sign of disruption came when stadium announcers said that six medal ceremonies would be postponed. At 11.03pm Birmingham 2026 posted on X: “We apologise for the significant delays in leaving the Alexander Stadium venue this evening. Buses and coaches will start to arrive and departures will begin to gradually take place.”
A later Birmingham 2026 statement clarified the cause and included: “Championship transport was suspended until the necessary security measures had been carried out whilst West Midlands Police arrested a man in his thirties on suspicion of fraud,” and added: “The safety and wellbeing of our spectators, athletes, workforce and the wider Championships family will always be our first priority. We recognise that the delays presented challenges for those affected and would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and cooperation throughout the evening.”
West Midlands Police said the man remains in custody for questioning. Transport operations resumed only after officers completed the required security checks.
On Sunday morning Finland’s Alisa Vainio won the women’s marathon in a championship record 2hrs 22.26min, described in reports as an impressive time on a hilly course, with Britain’s Abbie Donnelly taking bronze in 2:27.33. In the men’s race Germany’s Amanal Petros claimed gold in a championship record 2:09:11 after a solo breakaway, finishing ahead of Italy’s Pietro Riva, who was seven seconds adrift, with Israel’s Gashau Ayale third.
Hunt is scheduled to return to Alexander Stadium on Sunday evening, where she will aim for an unprecedented quadruple of gold medals at a single European Athletics Championships in the mixed 4x100m relays.