Countdown
President Lamine Diack took to the stage for the last IAAF World Athletics Series pre-event press conference of his presidency ahead of the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 in the Chinese National Convention Centre on Thursday (20).
In the presence of his successor, Sebastian Coe, IAAF General Secretary Esser Gabriel as well as dignitaries from the Local Organising Committee (LOC) – Vice President of the Chinese Olympic Committee Gao Zhidan, IAAF Council Member and General Secretary of the Chinese Athletics Associaition Du Zhaocai and Executive Vice Secretary General of the LOC Chen Jie – President Diack provided a summary of some of the key statistics which will make the championships the highlight of the 2015 sporting calendar.
“IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 are the world’s largest single sport event this year and there are teams from 207 nations entered which is a championship record. The previous best was the 203 countries (who participated) in Moscow two years ago.
“The 207 nations is also a record for a championship of any single sport, proving once again that athletics is the most universal sporting activity.
“In total, there will be 1931 athletes competing: 1042 men and 889 women.
“The eyes of the sporting world will be on athletics, the nine days of competition will be broadcast worldwide in over 200 territories with a cumulative global audience of six billion people. “For the first time, there will be an ‘IAAF Live Stream’ on IAAF YouTube channel with live coverage available in 108 territories worldwide and there will be daily highlights in 130 territories.
“The Bird’s Nest is sold out for every evening session of competition, there will also be good crowds in the morning sessions.
“I am also delighted to announce that the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping will be here on Saturday evening to officially open the championships.
“We await with high anticipation the start of the championships and I am especially looking forward to Usain Bolt's title defence in the Men's 100m and 200m.
“In the men's triple jump, the world record seems to be under threat: and in the men’s javelin, the traditional European dominance will be challenged by Africa and the Caribbean.
“In the women's 1500m, Genzebe Dibaba will be looking for her first outdoor major title while in the women's 400m, the three-time world 200m champion Allyson Felix moves up in distance.
“We also know there will be keen interest in the women's 20km race walk, which features China's best medal hope, Liu Hong.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work since these championships were awarded to the Chinese capital in November 2010. The successful organisation is a joint effort between the IAAF, Local Organising Committee, General Administration of Sport of China, City of Beijing, Chinese Athletics Association, Official IAAF Partners and Suppliers and National Partners and Suppliers.
“We are delighted to thank the thousands of volunteers who have given their time and enthusiasm so freely. Without volunteers, there would be no IAAF World Championships, there would be no national championships, no clubs, in fact no sport of athletics. We thank you, the volunteers, with all our hearts. You are the true spirit of athletics,” concluded President Diack.
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