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 ground-breaking timetable was well received with the 10 days of action featuring just four morning sessions, which will help to ensure the opportunity for the stadium to be full during the championships taking place in the British capital between 4-13 August 2017.
With a medal-filled programme on the final weekend of action, spectators will have the unique opportunity to be a part of some iconic moments, which will live long in the memories.
After the monumental Olympic and Paralympic Games four years ago, the setting for the race walks and marathon was crucial in evoking the same spirit. With this in mind, athletes and fans alike will take in during the marathon events the 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 providing the most memorable of backdrops for any sporting occasion. The Race Walk events will be held as a festival of race walking on the final Sunday on the Mall with Buckingham Palace providing a fantastic backdrop.
Also discussed was the ticketing model, which has seen considerable results after going on pre-sale last month, with positive feedback received around the affordability and strong marketing messages around the event.
Children will be able to purchase tickets for £9.58, a price which coincides with Usain Bolt’s world record set at the IAAF World Championships in 2009. 50% of tickets available will be £50 or less, which will be a hugely positive factor in enticing families to attend the championships itself.
In an exciting development, throwing events warm up will be showcased when fans first enter the park on the Stratford waterfront, which will only add to the excitement in the first ever IAAF World Championships staged in the UK.
The IAAF also 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.
The new and improved hospitality layout will lend itself to exciting openings for partners and there has been positive feedback surrounding the activation opportunities for sponsors both in the stadium and the Market Street on the perimeter.
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.”
