Josh Harris reports that Tessa Sanderson has been run off the road by Newham Council.
Newham Council has refused Olympic champion Tessa Sanderson permission to stage a 10km road race through the East London borough.
Organised by the Tessa Sanderson Foundation and Academy (TSFA), the ‘Newham Classic’ had become an annual fixture.
Confirming the ban on running the race again this April, Newham Council said: ‘We are not prepared to compromise the potential safety of runners and residents or have major traffic jams in the borough.’
Sanderson insists that TSFA has ‘satisfied every condition laid down by Newham Council.’ During negotiations designed to save the race, the council ‘wanted to double the fee we pay them.’ Sanderson concluded that Newham is ‘letting the community down’, and failing to live up to London 2012 legacy promises.
Sanderson (57) won Olympic gold in the javelin in 1984. She was the first black woman to win a gold medal for Britain.
Tessa Sanderson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1985, rising to the rank of Commander (CBE) in the New Year’s Honours list of 2004.