IAAF World Championships London 2017 LOC updates IAAF Congress on ‘unique’ and ‘creative’ event

The local organising committee for the IAAF World Championships London 2017 provided an update to the IAAF Congress last weekend in Monaco, marking another stage in the countdown to the championships in the British capital.

The LOC has achieved all milestones to date and has identified and received approval on all venues. The team has hosted a series of site visits for IAAF staff, event service providers, rights holders, partners and team leaders and received excellent feedback in relation to all organisational matters across the visits.

One of the key components presented was the schedule for the marathons and festival of race walking in the city of London, which were announced last month. The plans, which offer the opportunity for the sport to dominate the landscape of London for the full summer, were roundly welcomed by the delegates.

Other significant areas discussed included the high ticket sales with more than 500,000 tickets sold after the August ballot and the popular volunteer ‘runner’ programme, which received more than 25,000 registrations for 4000 roles.

“I was delighted to attend the IAAF Congress and deliver news on our progress ahead of an important year for the sport in the UK,” said championship director Niels de Vos. “Progress for the championships has been going very well with key components in place to make sure we are in the best possible place heading into the New Year. All the key decision makers in track and field from across the globe were present and they were highly encouraged by our update as we near the end of the year.”

“I really appreciated the way the LOC is thinking creatively at every stage of planning the championships and how they are using specialists across all the functional areas,” said IAAF organisational delegate Sylvia Barlag.

“I have seen the level of detail that has gone into the LOC’s planning and the joined-up approach working with the IAAF staff is impressive. We admire the unique way in which they are selling tickets to achieve full sessions and the engagement with the City of London for the marathon and race walk courses, all around iconic venues.”

LOC for the IAAF