News17 Jul 2008


IAAF Ambassador Frank Fredericks on Kids’ promo tour - IAAF World Athletics Final

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IAAF Ambassador Frank Fredericks helps inspire young children and promote the IAAF World Athletics Final (© Marisa Reich)

17 July 2008Promoting the sport and the IAAF World Athletcis Final, former 200m champion and now an IAAF Ambassador Frank Fredericks went on a five-day tour through Germany’s Southern cities.

Over 750 kids enjoyed a day of athletics in three German towns of Oberhaugstett, Abstatt and Schöntal. The 40-year- old Namibian top-star encouraged the crowd of kids aged between six and ten to give their best.

700 autographs in 5 days

“That’s a great way to promote our sport among young kids,” the father of two kids says.

In 1993 Fredericks celebrated his biggest achievement when he won the 200m at the World Championships in Stuttgart, the city where the IAAF World Athletics Final will be host for the last time.

“It is so important to keep more kids involved in athletics, so this is a nice way to have them together and show them how much fun it is,” said Fredericks who probably had a tired arm after giving over 700 autographs in only 5 days.

On Friday (11) Fredericks was welcomed by 350 children in Oberhaugstett. The training session started in brilliant weather conditions and after the first break for the kids, Fredericks joined the kids at each of the seven training stations.

Great way to help kids stay interested in athletics

At each station the focus was on different skills and methods – all with the intention to teach playfully the basics of athletics.

“Athletics has the most basic motion sequences we know – running, jumping, throwing,” said Fredericks.

Fredericks’ aim of the visit in the sourrounding of Stuttgart is not only to promote the sport of athletics, or the IAAF World Athletics Final, but to encourage young kids to participate in athletics.

Fredericks supervised another training sessions in Abstatt (13), which was sadly held under heavy rain and due to that displaced to an indoor track. Despite the rain the spirit among the kids was great.

The whole Kids’ Athletics tour was organized by the Baden-Württemberg Athletics Federation in collaboration with local primary schools and athletic clubs.

Immense help for our sport

“It’s exciting and wonderful to see so many kids participating in athletics. We have problems to keep our kids in the sport and those events are helping our sport immense,” said the Namibian 200m World indoor record holder.

Fredericks made another 320 kids happy with his appearance in Schöntal. But it wasn’t only sport the kids were interested in. The most common questions for Fankie in Schöntal were the ones which limosine he drives, if he would fly with a private jet and if he has a boat.

Fredericks explained that one doesn’t need a private jet as it is much more fun to fly with all the other people and that he wouldn’t know what to do with a boat.

In the end the focus was again back on athletics – and everybody enjoyed it.

Fredericks sweated as much as the kids while racing against them. After a long morning session the kids returned satisfied and exhausted to their class rooms; but not before getting autographs from their hero of the day.

“It was three wonderful events and I haven’t seen so many happy faces in a long time – hopefully we will see some of them again involved with athletics,” concluded Fredericks.


Marisa Reich for the IAAF
 

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