IAAF Coordination Commission visits Beijing with 10 months to go until World Championships

The IAAF Coordination Commission for the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing has just concluded a two-day visit to the Chinese capital.

Chaired by IAAF council member Helmut Digel, the delegation included IAAF technical delegate Jose Maria Odriozola, IAAF general secretary Essar Gabriel and other members of IAAF staff as well as representatives of Dentsu and AMS.

The visit included trips to the Bird’s Nest Stadium as well as venues related to the IAAF Council and Congress Meetings that take place alongside the championships, but the main focus was on in-depth meetings with representatives of the local organising committee.

Among some of the topics discussed were the status of the LOC’s plans for the competition, marketing and promotions, ticket sales, media, broadcasting, general organisation, accommodation, accreditation, security, medical and anti-doping and finance.

“We now have 300 days before the start of the IAAF World Championships which sees the return of championship athletics of the highest level to the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium,” said Digel at the press conference which concluded the visit.

“Although there are many international sporting events in the world, none can match the global reach of athletics, as we will be welcoming around 2000 athletes from 200 countries next August when this event gets underway for nine days of consecutive action.

“We are very pleased to see the concerted efforts being made by the local organising team, which has the full support of the Chinese Athletics Association and the Beijing Municipal Government, led by the city Mayor, and there is no doubt that the success of these World Championships is a key priority of the Chinese Government, which has recently announced its desire to put sport at the heart of the political agenda.

“The Coordination Commission received excellent reports from each functional area involved in the event and we are also pleased that China’s state broadcaster CCTV, one of the biggest broadcasters in the world, are not only committed to providing the host broadcast services but will do everything possible to promote the event, and the sport of athletics, in the coming months.

“We sincerely believe that with a concerted team effort we will be able to offer the world’s best athletes a perfect stage on which to perform, not just to enthusiastic crowds in the stadium but to billions of TV viewers around the world.”

IAAF