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The winning team of the IAAF Continental Cup Ostrava 2018 will be awarded with a unique trophy at the end of the competition, which runs from 8-9 September.
For the first time in the history of this competition, each member of the winning team will take home their own piece of the trophy. The original trophy symbolises team spirit, unity, and cohesion between nations and continents.
“On the concept of how to design a trophy for the IAAF Continental Cup, we came out of the basic idea of the competition, which is the team spirit and the fact that the individual is part of the team,” explains Libor Varhaník, Chairman of the Czech Athletics Union and Chairman of the local organising committee.
“We used Bohemian crystal, hand-crafted in the shape of sticks symbolising relay batons as a symbol of teamwork and community. At the same time, Bohemian Crystal brings a trace of Czech tradition to an international event of this importance.”
IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL! 😍
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The trophy consists of 116 crystal relay batons and together they form the trophy as a whole, which is in the shape of an athletics track. The batons are embedded in three rows on a metal pedestal, which is about 80 centimetres in diameter.
“The centre of the trophy is made up of a combination of smaller elements of pressed glass in the colours of the continents of Europe, America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, in which we see unity among the nations,” says Varhanik. “After handing over the glass ‘batons’ to the winning team members, the central part belongs to the winning area federation.”
Each baton is original with its own cutting and colouring, so every athlete from the winning team will take a unique, handmade artefact with its own décor from Ostrava as a symbol of successful teamwork.
The trophy was designed by Jaroslav Koléšek and Josef Divín.
“The trophy consists of three parts constituting a whole: 116 crystal bars, oval for the victorious continental federation and the metal pedestal,” says Koléšek. “Bohemian crystal symbolises purity, fragility and uniqueness. The glass bars are dense on the glass whistle. The central area consists of a metal platform with inscribed event identification and 116 glass pieces. The metal pedestal is made of stainless steel. This choice is based on an environment typical of the Ostrava region and its history. The oval and technical shape evokes the arena.”
During the event, the trophy will be displayed in an illuminated showcase as a unique glowing object in front of the athletes and viewers at the entrance gate of the Městský Stadium.
LOC for the IAAF
