Air Aware Labs at the European Athletics Championships 2026

Air quality can significantly affect athletic performance. Pollutants like ozone can reduce lung function and slow recovery, particularly during hot weather and endurance events. The European Athletics Championships get underway in Birmingham today, the first time the Championships have been held on British soil, bringing together 49 European Athletics Member Federations and a record 1,600 athletes.

This year we're partnering with the Championship organisers and UK Athletics to raise awareness of air quality around Alexander Stadium.

Every athlete competing gets free access to AirTrack Premium for the week. We've also built an interactive 3D digital twin of Alexander Stadium and the surrounding roads, modelling live air quality dispersion and forecasting conditions day by day. The stadium sits far enough from the A34 and the M6 that local roads generally won't dominate conditions, but the digital twin shows exactly how concentrations shift with traffic flow and weather. Today is cooler, with northerly air keeping pollution relatively low; a heatwave later in the week means ozone will be the pollutant to watch.

See our dedicated air quality checker for the Championships for the live picture, forecast and recent conditions.

Download AirTrack to check air quality and pollen forecasts before you set off, and find a cleaner route to the stadium.

See the wrap up article.