News03 May 2006


IAAF World Athletics Day links up with Schools

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IAAF World Athletics Day Poster (© c)

MonteCarloThe IAAF’s annual worldwide festival of youth, the World Athletics Day, one of the busiest weekends in the annual Athletics calendar, takes place this coming Saturday and Sunday, 6 - 7 May.

This annual promotion of Athletics for Youth, which was inaugurated in 1996 remains as popular as ever, with 156 IAAF Member Federations taking part in the IAAF World Athletics Day 2006.

But for the first time ever, this year in accordance with the goal of the Athletics’ World Plan to make Athletics the number one sport in schools, the World Athletics Day is being organised in close cooperation with the relevant national ministry which is in charge of School Sport in each country. The result of this first initiative has been startlingly successful, as 145 of those IAAF Member Federations who signed up for the general World Athletics Day have also committed themselves to the School element of the project.

“The promotion of Athletics in School is one of the most important keys to the overall success of our world-wide development plan for our sport, and is the reason why the new School/Youth Commission was set up to help drive it forward,” said President Lamine Diack. “The School based element of the enhanced IAAF World Athletics Day is an important part of this strategy, which is why we are delighted by the enthusiastic way so many Member Federations from each of the six Areas (Africa, Asia, Europe, NACAC, Oceania, South America) -have embraced the idea.”

This year’s competition at the World Athletics Day will comprise events for boys and girls born in 1989 and 1990, whereas the one for School Children will be for all pupils belonging to the category “Minimes” (born in 1991 and 1992).

As in the past, there will be a draw (deadline for receipt of results - 31 May) for the Youth Age Group, but for the first time it will be extended to the “Minimes” School Children. The ‘lucky winners’ will be invited to the famous IAAF Super Grand prix meeting ‘Herculis’ in Monaco on 20 August 2006, with their travel and full board accommodation costs covered by the IAAF.

Yet it is not just these selected athletes who gain from the experience, as thousands of gifts such as T-Shirts, posters and pins are distributed to each competing Member Federation, with an IAAF World Athletics Day Diploma presented to all participants, helping to encourage enthusiasm for Athletics, the world’s most international sport.

IAAF

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