Sainsbury Anniversary Games 2014: Schedule, Lineup and Athletics Event Details

Central London will be transformed in order to welcome some of the brightest athletics talent from around the world back to the UK's capital on Sunday for the Sainsburys Anniversary Games.

St. James' Park will undergo a metamorphosis as a two-mile track is laid at the Mall, where spectators will be able to watch some events for free.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Meanwhile, a temporary stadium will be built around Horse Guards Parade Ground, where a majority of the gold medal track used at the Olympic Stadium during London 2012 will be used once again for this prestigious event.

Some of the biggest names in the business are set to dazzle once again this Sunday, with London once again recapturing the global influence of sport.

Last Event	4:25 p.m. BST/11:25 a.m. ET
First Event	3:15 p.m. BST/10:15 a.m. ET

Evening Session	(Gates Open at 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET)
Morning Session	(Gates Open at 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET)
First Event	1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET
Last Event	2:50 p.m. BST/9:50 a.m. ET
First Event	6 p.m. BST/1 p.m. ET
Last Event	7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET

According to the official Sainsburys Anniversary Games spectator guide.

Notable Absences

No London Homecoming for Mo

Joel Ryan/Associated Press

Away from the short-distance events, this year's two-mile events will miss the talents of Mo Farah, who is still recovering from injury in a bid to make this year's Commonwealth Games.

Athletics Weekly confirmed earlier this week that the Somali-born long-distance runner would be absent from Sunday's proceedings, while UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos announced that US athlete Bernard Lagat would be in the line-up:

"

We are delighted that Bernard Lagat will headline the men’s two-mile race at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games.

 This race sits alongside the men’s T54 two-mile race featuring multiple Paralympic champion Dave Weir, who returns to the scene of his fourth gold medal at London 2012, and the women’s mile race featuring Geneze Dibaba, world indoor champion and world record holder.

"

Farah was forced to withdraw from the Glasgow Grand Prix earlier this month with what Sky News described as "abdominal pains" and will be seen as a big loss for the Anniversary Games.

BBC Sport have since confirmed that Farah is on track to make his return in Glasgow, however:

London was, of course, the scene of his 5,000-metre and 10,000-metre gold medal double at London 2012, but medalling at the Commonwealth Games is now the more realistic return.

Rutherford Prioritising Commonwealth Gold

Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images

Another British name missing from the London slate on Sunday will be long jumper Greg Rutherford, whom Sky Sports have revealed will sit out this weekend in a bid to regain fitness for Glasgow 2014.

Like Farah, the Olympic champion has set about making his own comeback from injury at the Commonwealth Games later this month, something the competition's organisers were all too pleased about:

Having established his giant presence in the long jump at London 2012—both literally and figuratively—Rutherford would have been an ideal source of entertainment at St. James' Park.