TOP CHINESE ATHLETES MARK 200-DAY COUNTDOWN TO IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BEIJING 2015

With 200 days to go until the Chinese capital hosts the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015, seven leading athletes have been made ambassadors of the championships, which will run from 22-30 August.

Three of the seven ambassadors appeared at a press conference on Tuesday (3). Liu Xiang, the 2004 Olympic 110m hurdles champion, gave a short but pertinent speech to invite spectators from all over the world. “Athletics is the mother of other sports,” he said. “Let’s throw ourselves into her arms.”

Chen Ding, the Olympic 20km race walk champion, is aiming to win his first world title in Beijing this August. “The World Championships is always exciting,” he said. “And competing on my home soil for my country is going to be an unforgettable experience.”

Wang Yu, the 2.33m high jumper, hopes to compete at this year’s World Championships without any added stress. “I am going to invite my roommates and classmates to cheer for me on site,” said the World University Games bronze medallist.

Besides Liu, Chen and Wang, the other ambassadors are 100m national record-holder Zhang Peimeng, world indoor long jump silver medallist Li Jinzhe, world and Olympic shot put bronze medallist Gong Lijiao, and 2011 world 20km race walk silver medallist Liu Hong.

TOP CHINESE ATHLETES MARK 200-DAY COUNTDOWN TO IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BEIJING 2015 © Beijing 2015 LOC

Further details of the ticketing policy were revealed at the press conference.

The price of single-day tickets range from ¥50 to ¥1000. Nine-day packages, with prices ranging from ¥1200 to ¥7136, are also provided. School students are offered a concessionary rate of only ¥10. Spectators booking tickets before 3 May will be randomly awarded a gift provided by sponsors of the event.

“The students’ sale is part of the IAAF youth development project,” said Chen Jie, executive vice secretary general of the LOC. “It is the first time in IAAF World Championships history that there has been a preferential policy aimed at students.”

Tickets will soon be available to buy on the official website of the event, iaafbeijing2015.com.

New Qualification System Introduced For IAAF World Championships

The entry standards for the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 have been officially published today.

The entry and participation principles have been thoroughly reviewed by the IAAF and a new qualification system has been introduced.

IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015

The key element of the new system is that the IAAF shall establish the ideal number of athletes (and relay teams) to start in each event of the championships and shall ensure that such ideal numbers are met through a qualification system which, essentially, combines entry standards (only one standard) and invitations based on rankings.

As in the past, there are still some special qualification opportunities and it will still be possible for member federations without any qualified athletes to be represented with one unqualified athlete (subject to certain conditions).

Doha To Host The 2019 IAAF World Championships

Doha won the right to host the 2019 IAAF World Championships, the IAAF Council announced at the Fairmont Hotel in Monaco on Tuesday (18).

Doha (QAT) was selected by a vote of Council over Barcelona (ESP) and Eugene (USA) to stage the 17th edition of the IAAF World Championships.

The voting was as follows:

First round: Doha – 12, Eugene – 9, Barcelona – 6 (Barcelona was eliminated).

Second round: Doha – 15, Eugene – 12.

“I am sure that in Doha we will have a wonderful edition of the World Championships. I am convinced they are committed through sport to developing their country and their community, and they are doing the right things,'” commented IAAF President Lamine Diack.

Lamine Diack, IAAF President, credit IAAF

President Diack also offered his thanks to all three candidates: “They were the best presentations we have ever had.”

“It’s a privilege and honour to have the trust of the IAAF,” said Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Doha bid leader.

“I am very delighted that these Championships are going to be for the first time in the region. I’m confident that with the support of the IAAF we will organise one of the best World Championships,” he added.

Doha to host 2019 IAAF World Championships

“This is a great moment for me as the president of the Qatari Athletics Federation, and also as a Qatari. We have dreamed about organising such an event for a long time and, on behalf of the Qatari athletics final, we would like to thank the IAAF Council and IAAF Family for giving Qatar the chance to host one of the most prestigious championships,” said Dahlan Al Hamad, Qatari Athletics Federation President and an IAAF Council member.

The 2015 edition will be hosted by Beijing (CHN) from 22-30 August; followed in 2017 by London (GBR) from 5-13 August that year.

IAAF World Championships, BEIJING 2015 – 1st Official Bulletin Published

IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015

The Local Organising Committee of the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 have published the 1st Official Bulletin concerning next year’s Championships.

The IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 will be hosted in the National Stadium of the Chinese capital from the 22 to 30 August 2015.

“The IAAF World Championships will be the biggest sporting event on the planet in 2015,” commented IAAF President Lamine Diack. “2000 athletes from over 200 nations will assemble in Beijing in a year’s time for nine days of competition which will be broadcast to an accumulated audience of 6 billion worldwide.”

“The magnitude of the task to organise Championships of this size is of course enormous but with a year to go I am confident that the IAAF and the Local Organising Committee, together with our Official IAAF Partners and suppliers and national partners, will be able to deliver a spectacular edition of the Championships.”

World Championships Countdown Clock Unveiled In Beijing: One Year To Go!

IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015

In exactly one year the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 will commence.

IAAF President Lamine Diack who is presently in China attending the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, flew into Beijing today to attend the ‘One Year Countdown Ceremony’.

President Diack was joined by Wang Anshun, Mayor of the Beijing Municipal Government and Liu Peng, China’s Minister of Sport Administration Bureau and President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, along with other distinguished national and city officials representing the member federation and local organising committee.

The IAAF delegation at the ceremony also included General Secretary Essar Gabriel.

A giant countdown clock was unveiled outside the National Stadium, better known as the world famous ‘Bird’s Nest’ which hosted the 2008 Olympic Games. The stadium will be the venue for the nine-day championships from 22 to 30 August 2015.

Introduced at the public ceremony were the official Championships poster and mascot.

“China is the emerging super power of athletics,” commented President Diack.

“For me, this is a source of satisfaction because I came myself to China in the 1970s to help China return to the IAAF Family. This happened in 1978 and, since then, the strength of athletics in this vast country of one billion people has steadily grown.”

“The IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015, will further inspire the youth of China and Asia to take part in Athletics. This will be the greatest legacy of these Championships.”

Click on the following links to view:

– ‘One-year-to-go’ ceremony – report, photographs plus the poster design and mascot

– Full speech of IAAF President

IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015

IAAF launches Chinese edition of SPIKES and social media

SPIKES (spikes.iaaf.org) has been part of the IAAF website since February this year and with one year to go until the World Championships in Beijing, it marks the perfect moment for SPIKES to embrace the passion China has for our sport.

SPIKES China (spikescn.iaaf.org) will help build excitement leading into the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China next March and then on to Beijing and beyond.

SPIKES China will also make its mark on popular Chinese social networks such as Instagram, Sina Weibo, a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook (http://weibo.com/u/3860583602), and Tencent Weibo (http://t.qq.com/Spikeszhongguo).

In addition, SPIKES China will be active on WeChat (ID: SpikesChina), a popular app available for all smartphones that allows activities such as text, voice and broadcast messaging as well as the sharing of photographs and videos.

WeChat has 300 million users, with 70 million outside of China.