Exhibition opens at St Enoch Centre ahead of World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow

Glasgow is set to welcome some of sports biggest names next month when the World Athletics Indoor Championships come to the city.

Although this is the 19th edition of the championships, this is the first time the event has been held in Scotland.

It has been dubbed as the “most global sporting event ever to have been hosted in Scotland” by organisers and will take place from March 1 to March 3.

More than 700 athletes from over 130 countries will compete in the three-day event at the Emirates Arena.

An exhibition showcasing memorabilia from world champions and record breakers of the past has opened to help inspire the city.

Located in the St Enoch Centre, the Museum of World Athletics which has artefacts dating back to the 1880s will be open daily to the public until the end of the championships.

A distinguished group of Scottish champion athletes including 2014 European 400m hurdles gold medallist Eilidh Doyle, 1993 World Indoor Champions Yvonne Murray-Mooney (3,000m), Tom McKean (800m), and 1980 Olympic 100m champion Allan Wells presented their competition artefacts to the museum’s collection.

Glasgow is set to welcome some of sports biggest names next month STV News

Doyle said: “It’s the first time Glasgow’s hosted a world event like this. So, we’re going to have athletes obviously from all across the world competing here. But I think one of the things to look forward to is we’re going to have some really great world class Scottish athletes competing. Laura Muir, Jemma Reekie, Neil Gourley have all indicated that they really want this to be a big championships for them,

“And I think it’ll be a really exciting three days. But, hopefully we’ll get some Scottish athletes that bring some medals home as well.”

Appropriately, two of the items had been worn at the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Doyle handed over the crop top she wore when taking world indoor 400m bronze in Birmingham in 2018, while Murray’s winning spikes from the 1993 edition in Toronto were also donated.

Murray said: “It’s amazing that it’s the first one in the world, you know, that’s 3D interactive and all this memorabilia. And, to have my running spikes be in one of these cabinets is absolutely fantastic. And it’s an amazing privilege to be able to know that my spikes are going around the world and everybody’s seeing them.”

McKean presented the singlet and shorts he wore when winning the 800m at the 1989 World Cup in Barcelona.

Finally, Wells’ singlet and spikes he wore at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games where he sprinted to the 100m title and 200m silver.

It is hoped the next generation of young Scottish athletes will be inspired by the museum’s collection and the three days of sporting excellence to come at the start of March.

During the World Indoor Championships Glasgow 2024 there will also be a fan zone in the shopping centre from where visitors will be able to watch the three-day championships whose stadium is sold out.

The MOWA Indoor Athletics Exhibition Glasgow 24, on the ground floor of the St Enoch Centre is open daily to the public from 11am to 6pm. The exhibition will close on the final day of the World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow 24.