GERMAN MEETINGS – ISTAF Berlin – ISTAF keen to attract Daegu world champions – World record holder Betty Heidler to attend

Berlin – Ding, ding, ding… The bell's ringing for the last round of preparations for the 70^thInternational Stadium Festival on 11^th September 2011.

With two weeks to go before Germany's largest and oldest athletics meeting 42,000 tickets have been sold. The best German athletes and torchbearers have committed themselves to the upcoming World Championships (27^th August to 4^thSeptember) –  hammer world record holder Betty Heidler (threw 79.42 metres in May), Diamond-League javelin winner Christina Obergföll, discus world champion Robert Harting and European long-jump champion Christian Reif.

200 of the world's best athletes representing 17 disciplines are currently being wooed for the ISTAF in the run-up to the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

Meeting Director Gerhard Janetzky wants to serve up as many world champions and medal winners as possible to a Berlin crowd spoiled by the 800 metres world record set last year and the fastest 3,000 metres run this year – another reason why ISTAF Managing Director Martin Seeber is anticipating upwards of 50,000 spectators in the stadium: "Like last year, when German successes at the European Championships boosted ticket sales, we are hoping for some ripple effects from the World Championships in Daegu. We'll be doing all we can to make this the world's biggest one-day meeting."

Incentives will be in the form of discounted group tickets and the family ticket for four people. Costing just 19.90 euros, it is the ticket to a five-hour programme of entertainment. Tickets can be reserved here on the ISTAF website (1-euro booking fee), via the ticket hotline (01803-20 60 70*) or at all CTS ticket outlets.

Help us to make this a record attendance. The bell has rung for the last round, but the home straight is still a few metres off around the bend.

*9 cents/min. from German landlines, max. 42 cents/min. from German mobile phones.