SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL: HOW MORE THAN 200 NATIONS WILL MAKE IT TO MOSCOW

The IAAF World Championships are not all about the athletics powerhouses from the likes of the USA or Russia.

No less than 206 nations are set to compete at Moscow 2013 and the IAAF is playing their part in helping many of the small teams enjoy a taste of the action, too.

IAAF competitions co-ordinator Celine Bianchi and IAAF travel manager Nathalie Jurinic explain how many Member Federations that will not feature among the medals will still be able to be proudly represented.

Q: What qualifies as a small team?

Celine Bianchi: Small for us is a small Member Federation with less means. Often these countries come from Africa and Asia, as well as South and Central America, who rely on the IAAF to pay for tickets and assist with everything. 

The small teams often come from very remote places. In the past, all nations were eligible to send one unqualified male and one unqualified female athlete, but that rule has now changed and each team with unqualified athletes is limited to one individual only.

New Zealand, for example, took a team of one (Valerie Adams, who won the Shot Put gold medal) to Istanbul for the 2012 World Indoor Championships they didn't qualify as a small team because they are not a small member federation.

Q: What support does the IAAF offers small teams?

CB: We cover travel and accommodation (in twin rooms) costs for athletes only, single rooms are subject to an extra cost. We can either issue the ticket or refund it. It’s the same rule for the big teams such as the USA and Germany, but they generally make their own travel arrangements.

For the IAAF World Championships, we cover travel and accommodation of all participating athletes. For the Juniors and Youths, we work with quotas.