Moscow 2013 logo (© IAAF)
The opening of ticket sales for the IAAF World Championships, Moscow 2013, were announced by the Local Organising Committee at a press conference in the Russian capital (4).
The conference was attended by Valentin Balakhnichev, President of the All-Russia Athletics Federation (ARAF) and IAAF Treasurer, Alexey Vorobyev, Head of Moscow Sport Committee, and Alexander Polinsky, Director General of the Moscow Directorate of Sports & Entertainment Events.
On 27 March 2007, Moscow was declared the host of the 2013 IAAF World Championships during the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council meeting in Mombasa, Kenya. The World Championships has never before taken place either in Russia or in the Soviet Union.
Moscow 2013 will be held from 10 August to 18 August, with the stadium competitions taking place at the Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, while the Race Walking and the Marathon courses will take place on roads in the Complex and along the embankments of the Moskva River, including the Kremlin Embankment.
The IAAF World Championships opening ceremony is scheduled for 10 August, the first day of the competition. Over 4000 athletes and official guests from 212 counties will take part in the Moscow World Championships. Over 200,000 spectators are expected to attend.
At the 2011 Daegu World Championships last year, Russian athletes won 9 gold and secured second place in the overall medal table behind the United States. At the London Olympic Games, Russian track and field athletes gained 8 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze medals.
During a meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on 14 May 2012, IAAF President Lamine Diack said that in 2013 he hoped to be a part of "the best World Championships….I know the sports facilities you have and I know the sportsmen fostered in Russia…. I think, as far as the very championships and organisation are concerned, there will be no issues here. The biggest challenge for our championships is filling the stadium with spectators."
That’s why, almost 1 year before the IAAF World Championships, the Organising Committee will start selling tickets on the internet on 15 October 2012.
www.mos2013.ru will publish all details about booking and purchasing of tickets.
And starting in February 2013 there will be massive sale of tickets for all spectator tribunes which, as well as on the internet, will take place at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex and other ticket booths around the city.
IAAF Federations, the ARAF, its regional offices and tourist agencies authorised by the IAAF have priority right to book tickets.
If spectators are interested in accommodation and travel, including flights, packages can be purchased from Sputnik Sport and Business Travel (SSBT), the Official Tourist Operator, at info@sputnic-sbt.ru
Tickets can also be booked at mos2013@dszm.ru
