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West Ham have been forced to wait until this month to play a home game at the London Stadium
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West Ham face more disruption at home with UK Athletics planning to use stadium for 2022 European Championships bid

Hammers forced to play first three matches of this season away while London Stadium played host to World Athletics Championships

WEST HAM are facing more home stadium disruptions after it emerged the London Stadium could be used to host the 2022 European Athletics Championships.

The Hammers have been forced to play their opening three games of the season away from home this year because their ground was playing host to the World Athletics Championships.

 West Ham have been forced to wait until this month to play a home game at the London Stadium
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West Ham have been forced to wait until this month to play a home game at the London StadiumCredit: Getty
 The London Stadium played host to the World Athletics Championship last month
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The London Stadium played host to the World Athletics Championship last monthCredit: Getty Images

Slaven Bilic's side have lost all the matches and will finally be able to play in front of their own fans next Monday when Huddersfield visit.

But now the nightmare of more disruption is emerging after it was revealed UK Athletics are seriously considering bidding to stage the Euros in 2022.

Under the terms of West Ham's tenancy at the former Olympic Stadium, a major sporting event can be staged there every five years.

And UKA chief executive Niels de Vos has admitted he is keen to take advantage of that clause to bid to become the host city of the major continental athletics event.

The Euros are not at the same scale as the Olympics or World Championships, but the event would still be expected to run across two weekends to maximise ticket sales.

One of the problems is the amount of time needed to convert the stadium from its football set-up into one capable of hosting athletics - and then return it to the usual state.

 It takes around three weeks to convert the London Stadium from athletics to football set-up
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It takes around three weeks to convert the London Stadium from athletics to football set-upCredit: PA:Press Association

The much heralded retractable seating is actually a series of heavy structures that need to be dismantled and removed by cranes, before being re-constructed again.

It means a clear window of around five-six weeks would need to be found in order to host such a major event.

 UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos admits he is considering bodding to host the 2022 European Championships at the London Stadium
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UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos admits he is considering bodding to host the 2022 European Championships at the London StadiumCredit: Getty Images - Getty

And with the World Cup in Qatar being held in winter later that year, the football season is expected to have to start earlier than usual to fit in the six-week break in the calendar.

Though UKA have not decided to bid at this stage, the success and attendances at the Olympics and World Championships mean London would stand a major chance of being chosen.

West Ham are relaxed about any potential bid - and insist they have the right to block any events taking place in the future that would potentially interfere with the football season.

A West Ham spokesperson said, "Under the terms of the concession agreement, which is a public document, the 2017 IAAF World Championships was the one and only event to take preference - agreed before bidding for the stadium even began and embraced by West Ham United from the very start.

"Our fixtures will have priority over anyfuture sporting event."

 

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