Emergency service staff who dealt with the recent Grenfell Tower fire and terror attacks in London are to be offered free tickets to this summer’s 2017 IPC World Para Athletics Championships.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said staff at London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, City of London Police and those working at hospitals involved in responding to the incidents would be rewarded.
The 2017 World Para Athletics Championships are to take place at London Stadium in July. Demand for tickets has been high, and sales of 230,000 are more than the previous seven editions of the championships combined.
Khan said: “London’s emergency services have faced unprecedented demands in recent months and, on behalf of Londoners, I want to express my deepest gratitude for their courageous response to the appalling attacks on our great city and the tragedy at Grenfell Tower.
“Firefighters, doctors, nurses, paramedics, police, and other frontline staff worked around the clock to keep us safe and treat the injured.
“We are so grateful for their efforts and that is why I am making tickets available for every one of them to see the IPC World Para Athletics Championships to thank them for everything they do for London.
“It is an opportunity for our emergency services super heroes to see the Superhumans competing on the world stage at the Olympic stadium. I am proud we now get another chance to showcase and celebrate all that London stands for – a beacon of equality, resilience and openness.”
Despite strong sales, London 2017 chairman Ed Warner this week said he will “not be happy until we have sold every seat” as he launched a final ticket push under the banner Fill The Stadium.
“When the Paralympics followed the Olympics in 2012, there were still half a million tickets available when the Olympics ended,” he said. “This time we’ve got the para event first.
“Britain won a truckload of medals in Rio and I’d say you’ll see medals by British athletes in every session.
“In the past, there have been hundreds rather than thousands of tickets sold for sessions, a lot of them to coaches and families but we have sold 230,000 tickets. We have more than 30,000 for some sessions but we want more.
“This is not just sport but para sport, and how it can overcome adversity. This is a chance to show that London is open to the world and to all backgrounds.”
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