GERMAN MEETINGS: BERLIN – ISTAF INDOOR with Verena Sailer and Robert Harting – 3,700 of the 11,000 available tickets are already sold!

Berlin – A little more than 100 days before the first ISTAF INDOOR one-third of the 11,000 tickets for the event on the 1st of March 2014 are already sold. Even without advertising activities the event in the O2 World has a great appeal. The organizers can continue to plan the biggest athletics indoor meeting in the world!

ISTAF INDOOR – Sporting aspects

At the first ISTAF INDOOR seven disciplines will be offered in the main program between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.. About 60 athletes will fight for victory. The program: 60m women and men (A- and B-runs), 60m hurdles women and men, shot put (men), pole vault (men) and discus throw (men). For the German athletes the date between the German Indoor Championships in Leipzig (22-23 February) and the World Indoor Championships in Sopot / Poland (7-9 March) is a perfect opportunity to check their performance status.

In addition to the DLV Stars Verena Sailer (sprint), David Storl (shot put), Raphael Holzdeppe, Björn Otto, Malte Mohr (all pole vault), Robert Harting and Martin Wierig (both discus), the world's best athletes in each discipline are expected to compete. Unique highlight is the final discipline discus throw. After a modifications break of about 15 minutes Olympic champion Robert Harting welcomes his well-known favorite opponents in his "cinema room".

A world record in the indoor discus throw is not likely to be seen. The existing world record was set by Gerd Kanter (Estonia) on the 22nd of January 2009 with a throw of 69.51m in Vaxjö (Sweden)! Wolfgang Schmidt holds the German record with 66.20m, set in 1980 in Berlin Hohenschönhausen. Robert Harting: "I cannot promise a new record because I am in full strength training at the moment of the season. But the German indoor record tempts me a lot. And of course I am not going to go out of the arena as a loser, I already ordered more than 50 tickets for family and friends."

Sprinter Verena Sailer: "When I see the blue track here in the arena, I am really looking forward to the ISTAF INDOOR. I believe that there will be a very special atmosphere. The berlin audience also makes the ISTAF at the Olympic Stadium very special for all athletes. "

Organizer Martin Seeber: "With the ISTAF INDOOR we want to establish an entirely new event format in Berlin. The connection between THE Olympic discipline and a modern multi-purpose arena gives us lots of possibilities. We will highlight the athletes optically and acoustically and also work with music at the competitions. One thing I'm not worried about, is the atmosphere."

Frank Kowalski, Director of Event Management at the German Athletics Federation (DLV): "For me, the ISTAF INDOOR is the most exciting track and field project in Germany in the following year. I congratulate Martin Seeber and his team to the concept and innovation with which they address the whole thing."

ISTAF INDOOR – Schools Cup

The first ISTAF INDOOR Schools Cup will open the program at 6 p.m.. Berlin pupils will determine the fastest girls and boys born between 2003 and 2004 in four races over 50m.
They can qualify for the finals in two preliminary rounds on the 22nd of January 2014 at the Rudolf-Harbig-Halle and on the 24th of January at the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen.

In addition to that, whole school classes can qualify for the finals of the 20x50m relays. The fastest five schools in Berlin will compete against each other with five girls and five boys born in 2003 and later at the finals.

A wheelchair race between six children will complete the preliminary program.

ISTAF INDOOR – Blue track

Since Monday, market leader Polytan has been producing the blue track in the O2 World. Ten employees are engaged in the 85m long, 7.32m wide and 13mm thick track. The flooring weighs about eight tons (13kg per square meter) and occupies a total area of 622 square meters. Polytan-Project manager Jan Lauterbach: "The demands on the track were exceptional. We already have experiences with mobile tracks that are used multiple times.

But in this case, the fact that the construction and dismantling times at the event are extremely short, we had to come up with a special solution." Polytan has therefore rolled out a particularly tear-resistant base mat on which the final surface coating Polytan M is plotted in Hertha blue. Today, the track will be cut into transportable parts and then stored in the basement of the O2 World until the ISTAF INDOOR on the 1th of March 2014.

 

ISTAF INDOOR – Safety

Viewers will be protected during the final discus throw by stable nets that are fixed in the arena sky and weighted down with sandbags. Michael Hapka, CEO of the O2 World: "Of course, we do not leave anything to chance and have thought of everything, especially in matters of security. We have even calculated the maximum possible flight parabels of the throwing equipment. They do not reach up to the video cube under the arena roof, but we will protect it nevertheless with an extra net. "

 

ISTAF INDOOR – Sponsors

Like alI major sporting events, the ISTAF INDOOR is only possible with sponsors. With Nike, Spielbank Berlin, AOK, Messe Berlin, LOTTO and Autohaus Erkner Gruppe, companies have pledged their support, who already support the International Stadium Festival in the Olympic Stadium. Martin Seeber: "The total budget of the event is between 40,0000 and 45,0000 Euros. About two-thirds of it are financed by sponsors. Very important are partners such as the O2 World and Polytan who make advances to us."

 

ISTAF INDOOR – Ticketing

In Mid-November one third of the nearly 11,000 tickets is already sold. Tickets are available in five price categories from 15.00 to 59.00 Euros.

For christmas the organizers want to boost sales with a special offer. Two tickets for the price category 3 will only cost 49.00 instead of 58.00 Euros from the 1st of December 2013 on. With these tickets you are sitting, for example, directly next to the discus ring.

Tickets are available online www.istaf-indoor.de, www.o2world.de, via  hotline: 030/20 60 70 88 99 and at all CTS ticket agencies.

 

Claus Frömming 
Head of Communications  
ISTAF Berlin Olympiapark - Friesenhaus I
Hanns-Braun-Straße 
14053 Berlin  
Tel: +49 (0)30 30 111 86 13 
Fax: +49 (0)30 30 111 86 20 
e-mail: c.froemming@istaf.de

https://www.istaf.de