By Duncan Mackay

Hannah Cockroft London 2012February 13 - A meeting featuring some of the stars from last year's Paralympics will be the climax of a three-day event to celebrate the first anniversary of London 2012 at the Olympic Stadium, it was announced tonight. 


The Paralympic competition will follow two days of Diamond League athletics to make up the London Anniversary Games.

The event will take place from 26 to 28 July, it was announced by UK Athletics. 

"We are already set to mark the anniversary of the tremendous London 2012 Opening Ceremony with the world's finest athletes returning to compete in this great Stadium this summer," said Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.

"Now this anniversary celebration is complete with top international Paralympians set to join the party."

In January, it was announced that the annual London Grand Prix Diamond League meeting would be moved from Crystal Palace to the Olympic Stadium.

The usual two-day format will remain, although it will be followed by a day of disability athletics.

"I am delighted that the London Anniversary Games has been confirmed as three days of international athletics this July," said Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012 and the British Olympic Association, as well as vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations.

"London 2012 was an amazing year for British sport and what a way to celebrate its success by welcoming the world back to London once more to watch the biggest names in athletics.

"It is an important part of the London 2012 legacy that as many people as possible experience world class sport in the world class facilities at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and I'm sure the London Anniversary Games will go a long way to inspiring the next generation of track and field fans."

London 2012 Paralympics athleticsCapacity crowds watched athletics at the London 2012 Paralympics

Double Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft, winner of the T34 100 and 200 metres titles at London 2012, hopes the event will replicate the success of last year's Games, when for the first time the Paralympics proved as popular as the Olympics.

"It's really exciting," she said.

"We know we can fill that Stadium - we did it with 80,000 people in two sessions a day for 10 days.

"We can fill the Stadium one more time and if we can do that it shows the interest is still there.

"That's a real challenge for us now to see if people are still interested in what we're doing.

"It's fantastic that we're getting the opportunity to try that out and I guess that's where the whole world will see if the legacy has worked."

The Paralympic competition at the London Anniversary Games will clash with the final day of  the IPC World Championships in Lyon, which are due to be held between July 19 and 28. 

In 2017 the Olympic Stadium is due to host the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships just one month before the IAAF World Championships - the first time a city has hosted the two championships in the same year.

"We're delighted that athletes will once again get to compete in the Olympic Stadium, and that spectators will be able to see some of the world's best Para-athletes in action in a venue that holds so many amazing memories following London 2012," said Xavier Gonzalez, chief executive of the IPC.

"With this event taking place straight off the back of the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, athletes will be in peak form and ready to deliver performances that inspire and excite thousands of spectators."

Tickets information for the London Anniversary Games will be issued shortly but fans are being encouraged to register for tickets by clicking here

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