IAAF Release
21 March 2002The IAAF Evaluation Commission, set up to analyse the bids of six candidates interested in hosting the 2005 World Championships following the withdrawal of London, has reached the halfway point in its mission, following visits to Berlin, Brussels and Rome.
The chairman of the Commission, IAAF Vice President Dapeng Lou (CHN), said: “We started work on Sunday and crammed in as many visits and meetings as we could on the four days available to us. We have a mandate to gather detailed information and first hand impressions, but can also help each city improve their bid by pointing out areas where they can improve. I am looking forward to visiting Helsinki, Moscow and Budapest after the World Cross Championships in Dublin.”
Indeed, any one of these cities would be capable of hosting an excellent event, and it is a shame that the Council will only be able to select one winner in Nairobi on 14 April. All the bids offer good technical facilities, well-considered budgets and, perhaps most importantly, extremely solid support from political authorities. I think it is significant that our delegation was met in Germany by the Chancellor himself, Gerhard Schröder, as well as by State Premier of Berlin Klaus Wowereit, in Brussels by the Lord Mayor Freddy Thielemans as well as by the Speaker of the Parliament Herman de Cross and in Rome by the Mayor Walter Veltroni, by IOC member Mario Pescante and by the President of the Italian Olympic Committee Gianni Petrucci. The political involvement has been impressive so far.”
The IAAF Evaluation Commission leaves for Helsinki on Sunday 24 March and returns from Budapest on 28 March. The IAAF Council will select the host of the 2005 World Championships on 14 April 2002.
For more information please contact Nick Davies on: +33 6 07 93 62 85