Business in usual in Moscow

Moscow - 3 September 1998 - As the final preparations are made for the IAAF Golden League Grand Prix Final in Moscow, Valentin Balakhnitchev, the chairman of the Organising Committee took a few moments off from his busy schedule to laugh off reports that the participants in the competition might face any sort of danger whilst in Moscow. "Just take a look around the city," he said, "people are out and about, shopping as usual, tourists are wandering around in the Red Square and this so-called ‘tension’ just isn’t there."

The only sign of anarchy in Moscow is in the way people park their cars - it is more reminiscent of Rome or Naples than anywhere else.

The only tension which can be felt is among the athletes who will on Saturday face the final trial in the 1998 Grand Prix season. Indeed, suspense might be a better word, especially among the four contenders who remain in the running for the IAAF Ericsson Golden League Jackpot. Three of them have already arrived in Moscow: Haile Gebrselassie, the little man from Ethiopia with the big stride and infectious grin, who will be running in the 3000 metres on Saturday and is hoping to take home at least a quarter of the million dollar jackpot. "I don’t know what people are worried about, it looks like life as normal," he said as he arrived in his hotel in Moscow. Hicham El Guerrouj, the young Moroccan 1500m specialist also seemed unconcerned about anything other than his performance on Saturday. Bryan Bronson, who had a narrow escape on Tuesday in Berlin in the last leg of the Golden League before the Final, is also in Moscow and getting ready for what is likely to be another close duel with reigning world champion in the 400m Stéphane Diagana. Diagana has said that he feels that he can break Bronson’s faultless season so far and, with just a hundredth of a second separating the two in Berlin, Bronson is confident but far from complacent.

The final member of the ‘Magnificent Four’, Marion Jones (USA), who has dominated the 100 metres throughout the season, will arrive in Moscow on Thursday afternoon. She is currently relaxing away from the crowds with her husband-to-be, shot putter C.J. Hunter.

Among the other athletes who have already arrived in Moscow: Falilat Ogunkoya (NGR), who has dominated the women’s 400m; Melissa Morrison (USA) and Michelle Freeman (JAM) 100m hurdles; Zohra Ouaziz and Gete Wami, respectively from Morocco and Ethiopia, who will be facing off in the women’s 1500m; John Godina (USA), who will be competing against Aleksandr Bagach (UKR), Oliver-Sven Buder (GER) and Marion Jones’ fiancé C.J. Hunter in the shot put; Jeff Manson - the only American to take part in the IAAF’s competition in Sarajevo in 1996 will compete in the pole vault against local favourite Maxim Tarasov and France’s Jean Galfione - who has an uncanny knack of pulling out all the stops when it really matters. With more than half of the athletes already in Moscow and the rest arriving later today and tomorrow, there is competition in the rather chilly air of the city.

As he was met on his arrival in Moscow this afternoon by Mr Balakhnitchev and IAAF General Secretary Istvan Gyulai, IAAF President Primo Nebiolo said that he was happy to be in the Russian capital and was looking forward to a splendid competition. "We have the world’s greatest athletes here in Moscow, competing for the biggest prize athletics has ever offered. The Russian Federation and the City of Moscow have done a great job despite a few difficulties and I am very grateful to the Local Organising Committee and to the Mayor of Mosow, Mr Yuri Luzhkov, for all of their hard work in organising what promises to be a really exciting competition."

Dr Nebiolo will hold a press conference in the Hotel Metropole in Moscow at 11.30 am local time on Friday 4 September.