Organisers announce developments ahead of London 2017
With just over a year to go until the IAAF World Championships London 2017, the Local Organising Committee met with the IAAF and its official sponsors to discuss the progress being made ahead of the next global event staged at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The timetable is said to have been well received, with the 10 days of action featuring just four morning sessions. This has been planned to help ensure the opportunity for the stadium to be full during the championships, which takes place in the British capital between August 4-13, 2017.
After the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London four years ago, the setting for the race walk and marathon events was described as "crucial in evoking the same spirit". With that in mind, athletes in the marathon events will take in renowned London landmarks such as Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye and Houses of Parliament before finishing on Tower Bridge. The race walk events will be held as a "festival of race walking" on the final Sunday on The Mall.
Also discussed was the ticketing model. Children's tickets can be purchased for £9.58, a price which reflects Usain Bolt’s world record set at the IAAF World Championships in 2009, while 50% of tickets available will be £50 or less.
In another development, the throwing events warm up will be showcased when fans first enter the park on the Stratford waterfront.
The IAAF is also said to have welcomed the new warm up track, which will be in close proximity to the stadium ensuring athlete preparations are maximised in the build-up to competition.
Paul Hardy, events and competitions director for the IAAF, said: "We are extremely encouraged by the progress being made ahead of next year’s IAAF World Championships and it really has a uniquely British feel about it all.
"The plans delivered by London 2017 have illustrated the London 2017 organisation shares the same forward-thinking as the IAAF in making the championships inclusive for families but also placing athletes’ at the heart of its decisions."
Cherry Alexander, managing director for London 2017, added: "In the last few months we have continued to make huge strides forward with a year to go.
"We have been boosted by a hugely successful pricing structure and marketing campaign incorporating British heroes Sally Gunnell, Jonathan Edwards, Colin Jackson along with Usain Bolt, which has really captured the British public."
