Posted: April 4, 2006

Athletics: Nine In The Running To Host 2011 IAAF World Championships In Athletics

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

by Bob Ramsak

A record nine countries have declared their interest in hosting the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the sport's international governing body announced today.

With the deadline for the receipt of letters of intent now passed, the IAAF has received confirmation from Brisbane, Australia; Split, Croatia; Madrid or Valencia, Spain; Daegu, South Korea; Casablanca, Morocco; and Moscow, Russia. Additionally, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States have also submitted letters of interest, but no potential host city was immediately indicated.

"I am delighted to see such strong interest, from so many different parts of the world, as this demonstrates not only the strength of our Athletics movement, but the particular value of our top competition," said IAAF President Lamine Diack. Diack spoke with reporters in Seoul, South Korea, where he was attending a meeting of national Olympic Committees.

To date, eight of the 10 world championships have been held in Europe. Tokyo hosted the 1991 championships, while Edmonton, Canada hosted the 2001 edition. In 2007, the championships will be held in Osaka, Japan, and in 2009, Berlin will play host.

Following a year-long evaluation process, the winning bid will be announced by the IAAF Council in Spring, 2007.

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