Recepients of the IAAF Plaques of Merit with IAAF President Lamine Diack in Osaka (© Getty Images)
The delegates from 210 of the 212 Member Federations of the IAAF who have journeyed to Osaka to take part in the 46th IAAF Congress, Osaka, Japan, 2007, were welcomed last night (21) at the Official Dinner held at the Intex Exhibition Centre in the city.
Osaka will host 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics (25 Aug to 2 Sep 2007), for which competitions 203 Member Federations have entered athletes to compete.
President Lamine Diack made the official welcome on behalf of the IAAF, with addresses then delivered by Mr. Yohei Kono, the President of the Japanese Association of Athletics Federations, and Mr. Yoshino Mori, the Supreme Advisor of the Osaka 2007 Local Organising Committee, who gave the official welcome from the LOC.
The award of the IAAF’s highest honour, the Golden Order of Merit was made to three distinguished members of the global athletics family who have made enormous career long contributions to the success and the development of our sport -
Mr. Hanji Aoki of Japan, Honorary Life Vice President and former Vice-President of the IAAF, Dr. Arne Lungqvist of Sweden, IAAF Senior Vice President, and Dapeng Lou of China, IAAF Vice President. Unfortunately, Mr. Aoki, 93-years-old, was unable to attend the dinner and so Mr. Kono received the Golden Order of Merit on Mr. Aoki’s behalf.
The life-long contribution to Athletics of another six dignitaries who like the previous three awardees remain very active in our sport also had their achievements recognised with the receipt of the IAAF Plaque of Merit (see main photo)–
(in alphabetical order according to their Area Association)
Africa - Hon. Secretary General of Athletics Kenya – Mr. David Okeyo
Asia - President of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association – Mr. Teng Kok Go
Europe - Honorary Member of the European Athletic Association – Mr. John Lister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. EAA President Hansjorg Wirz collected the plaque for Mr. Lister who was unable to attend the dinner.
NACAC - IAAF Council Member – Mr. César Moreno Bravo of Mexico
Oceania - Honorary Life Vice-President of the Oceania Athletic Association - Mrs. Margaret Mahony
South America - President of the Venezuelan Athletics Federation - Dr. Nelson Augusto Rodriguez Freites
The evening concluded with a stage show focusing on the history of Osaka and the World Championships in Athletics, with a dynamic audio-visual display, and dancing and music provided by a range of performers who included Kenya's 1987 World Championship marathon winner Douglas Wakiihuri, who lives in Japan, as the central singer of the evening.
IAAF
