PRESIDENT DIACK: “THE IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BEIJING 2015 HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL… THANK YOU CHINA!”

The concluding joint IAAF and Local Organising Committee (LOC) press conference at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 took place before the start of the last day of athletics in the Bird’s Nest stadium on Sunday (30).

Guests included IAAF President Lamine Diack, IAAF President elect Sebastian Coe, IAAF General Secretary Essar Gabriel, LOC Executive Chairman and Assistant Director of General Administration of Sport of China Gao Zhidan, LOC Deputy Chairman and Director of the Athletic Administration Centre of General Administration of Sport of China Du Zhaocai, and LOC Executive Secretary General and Vice Minister of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports Chen Jie.

“The IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 have been wonderful,” opened President Diack, who spoke about the spectator number in the stadium, the increased TV audiences of these championships and also the IAAF’s medical and anti-doping programme in Beijing.

“The testing figures are interim data. We will confirm full anti-doping statistics by press release on Tuesday but this is the most comprehensive testing programme of any sport in the past two years,” emphasised Diack.

“More than 650 blood tests were conducted at the athlete hotels prior, and during, the world championships. More than 520 urine tests conducted at the stadium and at the hotels,” he added.

photo credit © Getty Images for IAAF

IAAF President elect Coe announced major increases in the IAAF website and social media audiences over the previous edition of the championships two years ago in Moscow.

“The IAAF’s strategy to attract a younger audience to athletics via the online promotion of the sport has received a massive boost in Beijing. The IAAF’s responsive website, which fits on any device, has got users around the world,” said Coe.

VISIT FROM ATHLETICS LEGENDS MARKS 100 DAYS TO GO UNTIL IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BEIJING 2015

There was a feeling that something special was in the air of the Chinese capital this afternoon as more than 1000 spectators, guests and athletes gathered outside the magnificent Bird’s Nest.

VISIT FROM ATHLETICS LEGENDS MARKS 100 DAYS TO GO UNTIL IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BEIJING 2015 photo credit IAAF

In exactly 100 days, the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 will get underway and to mark the event a special ceremony was held just outside the National Stadium which will be the venue for the nine-day competition from 22 to 30 August.

Xiao Tian, Deputy Sports Minister, Zhang Jiandong, Vice Mayor of Beijing and Du Zhaocai, IAAF Council Member and President of the Chinese Athletics Association attended the event, accompanied by IAAF ambassadors and legends of the sport Colin Jackson, Michael Johnson and Mike Powell.