Each year between football seasons the Olympic Stadium will become heart of English athletics with first event coming this weekend. The deal is considered a major step towards a year-round use and meeting the Olympic legacy plans.

The stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will now become the new national centre for athletics and UKA will have full use of it throughout every July of the 50-year agreement, which was announced today by UKA and the E20 Stadium LLP - a partnership set up between LLDC and the London Borough of Newham to manage the stadium.

London Legacy Development Corporation chief executive Dennis Hone praises the move and considers it a perfect follow-up for the 99-year lease with West Ham United, who will provide the football use.

“We want it to be a 365-day-a-year stadium and we have signed a concession with West Ham United and that secures our winter sport but the focus of our summer sport was always going to be athletics.”