Medal ceremonies scheduled for Saturday evening at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham were called off after West Midlands Police arrested a man in connection with a fraud offence. Transport services from Alexander Stadium were suspended simultaneously while officers carried out security procedures. Thousands of spectators were left stranded outside the venue.
According to the BBC, the crowd at Alexander Stadium was close to its 23,000 capacity for the evening session, which ended with Great Britain claiming gold medals in both the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays. Six award ceremonies had been planned to follow the final event, between 10pm and 11pm BST. An announcement inside the stadium confirmed their cancellation.
Spectators Held Outside for Over an Hour
Members of the public said security staff held them outside the stadium for more than an hour after competition concluded, with a heavy police presence visible on-site, according to the BBC. Social media posts described long, stationary queues for shuttle buses and blue flashing lights on the main road near the ground.
Queues stretched on. One attendee, Alex Ridout, posted on X that the queues were significant and that apparent blockages outside appeared connected to emergency vehicles on the nearby road. Another spectator, Paul, wrote shortly after midnight that he and three children had been waiting in a pen since 10:15pm with little information from staff. A third user, Susie Barnacle, told her followers she had waited nearly two hours to leave and described armed police stationed at the buses.
Organisers Apologise, Confirm Overnight Recovery
Birmingham 2026 issued a statement on X at 11:03pm urging patience and confirming that buses would begin departing gradually. A fuller statement published overnight, as carried by Sky Sports and RTÉ, confirmed that transport had returned to normal in the early hours of Sunday. Organisers acknowledged the disruption had presented real difficulties for those affected and thanked spectators for their cooperation.
Safety came first. The statement noted that the safety of athletes, spectators, and all championship personnel remained the top priority. Further details regarding the rescheduling of the postponed ceremonies were due to be released later on Sunday.
Arrest and Police Status
A West Midlands Police spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of fraud. He remained in custody for questioning as of Sunday morning. No further details about the nature of the alleged offence were released.
RTÉ noted that Saturday’s session had also featured Ireland’s Kate O’Connor winning heptathlon gold, with her medal ceremony among those postponed.
