IAAF President Diack presents the Chinese President Xi Jinping with the IAAF Golden Order of Merit

IAAF President Lamine Diack presented the Chinese President Xi Jinping with the IAAF Golden Order of Merit on Saturday (22).

The presentation took place in the Golden Room at the Bird’s Nest stadium just before the spectacular opening ceremony of the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 at which both men gave speeches before President Xi Jinping declared the 15th edition of the championships open.

The opening ceremony lasted 20 minutes and emphasised a strong environmental theme which will accompany the championships until the last day on Sunday 30 August.

Several hundred young students from the Shaolin Epo Wushu College provided a performance in costumes that embraced the concept of greenness and growth while 160 singers selected from various Beijing universities also provided an outstanding choral accompaniment to the dancers.

The world-famous Chinese pianist Yundi Li provided a musical accompaniment for the performance, along with several electronic bands.

Famous Beijing singers Baoliang Sha and Sitar Tan finished off the opening ceremony by singing Flying With Dreams, the theme song of the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015.

IAAF