On Saturday 18 July, some of the best athletes in the world will return to London Stadium for the London Diamond League.

It is one of the standout days in British athletics: a sell-out crowd, global stars, home favourites, and a stadium that still carries the energy of London 2012. British Athletics has described it as the biggest one-day athletics event of the year, and it has sold out three years running.

We’re delighted that Air Aware Labs will be providing air quality data to support this year’s event. We will also be there on the day, with a stand outside the stadium, speaking to spectators and helping make air quality a more visible part of the event experience.

In athletics, the environment matters. Wind direction and speed matter for sprints and jumps, while heat, wind and rain can all affect how people perform and feel. Air quality is part of that wider performance and health environment too, but because you usually cannot see it, it is often overlooked.

Sport is complex, and we are not suggesting air quality determines sporting outcomes on its own. But when athletes, coaches, volunteers and spectators are all breathing the air around them, it makes sense to understand what that air is like and how it changes through the day.

In London, as in many major cities, air quality varies significantly by place and time. Nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter can change by street, time of day, traffic, weather and local activity. Two people travelling to the same stadium can have very different exposure depending on how they get there, when they travel and which route they take.

That is what Air Aware Labs is making visible through AirTrack, our mobile app for understanding personal air pollution exposure. For the London Diamond League, our aim is simple: to help people understand what the air is like around the stadium, how it changes across the day, and why that matters beyond the event itself.

This is not about discouraging people from walking, running or cycling. Quite the opposite. These are some of the best things people can do for their health. The point is to help people stay active while reducing avoidable exposure.

That is why the London Diamond League is such a good place to showcase the data. It’s not a conference about air pollution. It is a major sporting event in one of the world’s great cities, with thousands of people watching some of the best athletes on the planet push their bodies to the limit. 

Air quality is an important part of the environment athletes, spectators and cities operate in. We’re proud to help make that layer visible. 

If you’re coming to the event, you’ll be able to scan the QR code on the day to see live air quality around the stadium. And if you want to understand your own personal exposure every day when you walk, run, cycle or commute, you can download AirTrack, with Premium available at £6.99 per month.

Find out more here: https://www.airawarelabs.com/airtrack

Read the full article on the UK Athletics website or on the London Diamond League website.

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