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British athletics officials were due to present a bid to the IAAF, the world governing body of athletics, later this month where they faced a rival bid from Beijing.

But have now scrapped the 2015 campaign and will make another bid for the 2017 championships because the final decision about who is going to run the Olympic Stadium in east London after the Games will not be made before the end of the month.

The is currently talking to companies who have expressed an interest in taking over the stadium after the Games, including football clubs West Ham and Tottenham and entertainment and concert producers AEG and Live Nation.

Tottenham and AEG, who are bidding together, are less keen on keeping an athletics track in the main stadium than West Ham and Live Nation.

So, no decision can be made about the championships until it is decided who is going to run the arena after 2012.

These negotitations are not expected to be concluded until Christmas at the earliest. So the future of the stadium would not have been clear when London was due to present its 2015 bid at the IAAF's council meeting in Monaco on November 19 and 20.

The decision is a blow to London 2012 chairman Seb Coe because he is keen to get an athletics legacy for the stadium.

But a decision on the 2017 championships will be made next year so London will know before the Games if the world event is coming to the capital.