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The event, which was previously known as the London Athletics Grand Prix, was rebranded in 2013 to highlight Sainsbury’s sponsorship and the one-year anniversary of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Two iconic venues were transformed into athletics tracks by events company Nova International. The Horse Guards Parade Ground hosted a purpose-built athletics tracks for sprints, hurdles, high jump, pole vault and long jump, while a two-mile track was laid down at The Mall.
The event was part of British Athletics’ summer season of events and while the two sessions inside the stadium were ticketed, fans of athletics were encouraged to cheer on stars such as Paralympian David Weir down The Mall for free.
Highlights of the day included British 100m hurdle champion Tiffany Porter gaining a gold medal and London Paralympics winner Hannah Cockcroft blasting to victory in the 100m race.
Tara Hewitt, Sainsbury’s head of sponsorship, said: "Following our sponsorship of the London Paralympic Games it was fitting to mark the anniversary by bringing some of the world’s best athletes right into the centre of the city."
Brendan Foster, chairman of Nova International and former Olympic medallist, added: "The Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games is a wonderful opportunity to deliver a ground breaking athletics event right in the heart of London. We were delighted to be working in partnership with British Athletics to jointly deliver this event in Horse Guards Parade."
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