Medal ceremonies at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham were postponed on Saturday evening and transport was suspended after a man was arrested on suspicion of fraud.
Heptathlon champion Kate O’Connor was due to receive her medal on Saturday night, but the ceremony was pushed to Sunday after an announcement circulated by organisers as competition continued.
Tournament organisers said transport operations had returned to normal in the early hours of Sunday.
A statement from Birmingham 2026 acknowledged a “police incident” on Saturday, saying: “Championship transport was suspended until the necessary security measures had been carried out whilst West Midlands 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.
“We recognise that the delays presented challenges for those affected and would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and cooperation throughout the evening.
“Further information will be issued on Sunday relating to the evening’s postponed medal ceremonies.”
A West Midlands Police spokesperson confirmed a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of fraud and remained in custody for questioning.
The crowd at the Alexander Stadium appeared to be near its 23,000 capacity to watch Saturday’s evening session, with local interest in the 4x100m relay finals, where Britain’s men and women both took gold, despite Irish athlete Andrew Coscoran joking that “there are no Brits here” due to the high take-up of tickets from Irish supporters.
Ireland’s Kate O’Connor celebrates after winning heptathlon gold. Her medal ceremony is due to take place on Sunday morning. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho
At one point during the session, there was an announcement that the six medal ceremonies, scheduled to take place after the final event between 10pm and 11pm, were cancelled.
Outside, there was a visibly heavy police presence and huge static queues of people waiting for shuttle buses.
Attendees posting on social media described “crazy queues” for the shuttle bus and complained of “little communication” with those delayed leaving. -PA