Australia eyes top 2005 aths meeting

Sydney, host of the 2000 Olympics, could run the 2005 meet

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Australian athletics officials say they may bid for the 2005 World Athletic Championships if London is stripped of the event.

London has come under fire from the sport's governing body, the International Amateur Athletics Federation, for failing to live up to its bid proposal, including the development of a suitable stadium.

It appears certain to be stripped of the event after the IAAF ruled out switching the championships to Sheffield.

Athletics Australia (AA) chief executive Simon Allatson said that Australia has many cities that could stage the event.

Allatson said that Perth was planning a bid for the 2007 championships and Sydney -- host of the 2000 Olympic Games -- could easily stage the event at short notice.

"We have an agreement that Perth will bid for 2007 so it would be up to them if they wanted to bring their bid forward by two years," he told Reuters.

Australia's bidder for the 2005 championships was Melbourne, losing to London. The Victorian city was awarded the 2001 IAAF Grand Prix and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

Perth has hosted the 1991 and 1998 swimming world championships.