IAAF Release
TIME \@ "d MMMM yyyy" 4 May 2001 – Monte Carlo – 147 National Federations will this year participate in World Athletics Day. This event was introduced five years ago by the then-President Primo Nebiolo, with the aim of increasing public awareness of the need to educate youngsters in the practice of athletics. On that first occasion in 1996, World Athletics Day was themed around the Centennial edition of the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
From the winners of the event, the names of two boys and girls were drawn from each of the IAAF Continental Areas (Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, South America, North-Central America and the Caribbean) and they were invited by the International Federation to attend the Atlanta Olympics.
The formula was repeated in successive years, with the lucky winners of the IAAF World Athletics Day receiving invitations to attend the IAAF World Championships in Athens (1997) and Seville (1999) and the World Cup in Athletics (Johannesburg 1998).
This year, the World Athletics Day will be held for the majority of the federations on the 5th May and for the remainder on 12 May. The programme will include the following events:
1
sprint event
1 middle distance event (preferably the 1500 metres)
1 hurdles race
1 jumping competition
1 throwing event
1 walking race
There will be a draw in Edmonton on 24-25 May, during the visit of IAAF President Lamine Diack to the city that will play host the world’s greatest sporting event of 2001, to determine the winners of an invitation to attend the 8th IAAF World Championships.
This year, twelve names will be drawn and those lucky enough to be picked will join 12 winners from last year, who, for logistical reasons, could not be invited to attend the Olympic Games in Sydney.
ENDS
