Sports
Man arrested on suspicion of fraud after ‘security incident’ at European Athletics Championships
A man was arrested on suspicion of fraud following a “security incident” at the European Athletics Championships on Saturday.
West Midland’s police confirmed the arrest of a man in his 30s at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England, after concerns were raised during Saturday’s evening session. He remains in custody for questioning.
At around 8.15pm (BST), the man was “found in an area of Alexander Stadium with the wrong accreditation,” police said. Authorities did not state which area of the venue the individual was located.
“We understand the concern this may have caused and can confirm there was no immediate risk to the public,” a police statement read.
As a result, the area surrounding the stadium went into lockdown, with shuttle buses for fans, media and athletes not leaving nor arriving for more than an hour, as these required searching. Long queues formed as a result — the 23,000 capacity stadium was sold out, with no public parking available — and armed police were called in as a safety measure.
At 11:03pm the first communication was made on social media, with the Birmingham2026 X account posting its apologies for “significant delays”. Not until after midnight did many athletes and coaches arrive back at their hotels, more than four hours after the man was found.
Six medal ceremonies, all scheduled for between 10pm and 11pm on Saturday night, were postponed. That included the heptathlon, in which Kate O’Connor won a historic gold for Ireland; the men’s 10,000m, won by Sweden’s Andreas Almgren in a solo run for a championships record; and the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays, which Great Britain swept.
A full statement, published at 8:03am (BST) on Sunday, as the marathon races got underway in the city centre, read: “Birmingham 2026 can confirm that transport operations have returned to normal following a police incident on Saturday (15) evening. Championship transport was suspended until the necessary security measures had been carried out whilst West Midland’s Police arrested a man in his thirties on suspicion of fraud. The safety and wellbeing of our spectators, athletes, workforce and the wider Championships family will always be our first priority.”
Sunday evening is the final session of the seven-day continental championships, which is being held in Great Britain for the first time.
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