Posted: February 23, 2004

Athletics: Budapest Is Set To Be The Biggest World Indoor Championships Ever

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved < RaceResultsWeekly.com>

The 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics which take place in Budapest, Hungary (5-7-Mar) are set to attract the biggest number of national teams in the championships' history. According to the IAAF, 144 member federations plan to take part, well above the previous record of 136 member federations which took part in Lisbon in 2001.

The meet has been sold out since last December, and a tented hall is being erected outside the Budapest Sports Hall, in which a large TV screen will show live coverage to accommodate the extra public demand.

Substantial prize money will be at stake, too. Individual winners will pocket US$ 40,000, with $20,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze, graduating down to $4000 for a sixth place finish. Also, any athlete breaking a World Record in the Championships will be awarded US$ 50,000.

Join the RRWeekly Yahoo Community at: groups.yahoo.com/group/rrweekly