Seville prepares for 7th IAAF World Championships In Athletics
22 June 1998 - Seville - The IAAF Council today held a special session in Seville,
site of next year’s 7th IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The main
scope of the meeting, chaired by IAAF President Dr Primo Nebiolo, was to ascertain the
state of progress of preparations for this, the major sports event of 1999, which will
bring more than 3000 athletes and an equivalent number of media from around the world to
the capital of Andalusia.
The President of the Organising Committee and President of the Province of Seville, Alfredo Sanchez Monteseirin, assured the IAAF Council of his city’s pride in hosting the World Championships and that the event would be a cornerstone of future development of Seville, and not only in the field of sports.
The President of the Spanish Athletic Federation, José Maria Odriozola then presented to the IAAF Council the various solutions chosen to answer the problems arising from the accommodation of athletes, journalists and other visitors to the Championships and the proposed timetable. This latter has been arranged to satisfy the diverse needs of the athletes, first and foremost, the spectators in the stadium and television audiences around the world.
During the nine days of the Championships (from 21 to 29 August 1999), there will be only four morning sesssions, comprising eliminatory heats, with the exception of the 26 August when the 50km walking race will start at 7.45 in the morning, with the finish expected around 11.25 am. On the last day, there will be another event in the morning: the women’s marathon (start 9.05, estimated finish around 11.25).
The afternoon sessions are scheduled to start no earlier than 1800 hrs. On the first day of competition there will be three finals: the 20km walk for women, replacing the 10km event), the women’s pole vault (12 athletes invited to compete) and the men’s shot put. The finals of the 100m - women and men - are scheduled for Sunday 22 August, at 9pm and 9.15pm respectively.
The men’s marathon, which is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators, will take place on the evening of 28 August, starting at 6.45pm.
The final of the men’s pole vault -with Sergey Bubka looking to take home his seventh consecutive title - will be held on the evening of 26 August, starting at 7.15pm.
The organisers have also defined the details of the opening ceremony which, according to President Odriozola, will be particularly innovative and original. The procession of the teams will not be eliminated, but will be incorporated into the show, which is being prepared by the same troupe who prepared the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympics. They will be accompanied by a number of artists from Seville who participated in the "son and lumiere" produced for the Expo Seville ’92.
During the Council meeting, President Nebiolo awarded the IAAF Silver Order of Merit for the exceptional careers in sports and athletics administration to three Council members: Hassan Agabani, Artur Takac and Igor Ter-Ovanesian.
Tomorrow, the IAAF Council will visit the Olympic Stadium, construction of which is scheduled for completion in March 1999. IAAF President, Dr Primo Nebiolo will hold a press conference in the Nebrija room of the Spanish Pavilion at 12.30pm.
ENDS
