PRESIDENT DIACK SATISFIED

MOSCOW (RUS): Following a two-day meeting of the IAAF Council held in the Radisson Royal Hotel Moscow President Lamine Diack chaired an IAAF Press Conference with the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of Moscow 2013. President Diack noted he is satisfied with report of 2013 championships organization committee. He also made special mention of strong organizational structure and underlined that participants of Moscow event will have top accommodation. “It is not often at sporting events that you find the athletes staying in 4 star hotels. Everyone will live like kings this August. I am also content with Luzhniki stadium. This arena meets all requirements we need to conduct the competitions of the highest level” said Diack. Head of the IAAF Coordination Commission for Moscow 2013, the IAAF vice-president Sergey Bubka informed that the stadium main track and the warm-up track are being renewed, with 90% of the work on the main arena having been completed and Olympic Complex also has three other 400m tracks for warm-up. “Everything is going according to the plan. We also elaborated new plan of our activities for final months before championships. Moscow government created very effective program named ‘Spectator” which will get involved young people at the Luzhniki tribunes” Bubka said. Head of Moscow sport department Aleksey Vorobyov informed that all official transport of championships for accredited person will move most likely by special Green Line. Moscow government will make final decision on this case in May.

ZURICH 2014 STARTED WITH TICKET SALES

ZURICH (SUI): Organizers of European Championships 2014 informed 480 days before the event they started with ticket sales. The championships dates are August 12-17, 2014. Before the start of ticket sales they already registered interest for 27 000 tickets. Letzigrund stadium offers for public sales per session 17 650 tickets, that also includes 4300 tickets for national athletics federations. That means 13 000 remaining. Championships will have 2100 volunteers. Organizers are also happy they have been succesfull in sponsors department. Companies like Erdgas, Implenia and Toyota will be „National Partners”. In total 20 companies will support the event and the sponsorship target was reached.

LAVILLENIE AND JAMES FOR GOLDEN SPIKE

OSTRAVA (CZE): French Olympic gold medalist in the pole vault Renaud Lavillenie will return to Ostrava where he last year opened his best season so far with new meet record 590 cm. He is the latest star confirmed for the 52nd edition of the Ostrava Golden Spike Meeting (IAAF World Challenge) to be held on June 27. While in Ostrava works are continuing on rebuilding the stadium, including new track and new video boards the starting fields are nicely shaping up. „I m happy to return to Ostrava,” said Lavillenie in a video greeting, the French vaulter who was unbeaten in the indoor season and won another European title will open his season end of April at the mall jumping in Des Moines at the Drake Relays. Another star confirmed is olympic and world gold medalist in the 400 m Kirani James of Grenada. It will be his debut in Ostrava and the aim is clear. To attack the oldest meet record of legendary Alberto Juantorena of Cuba, now IAAF Council Member, who clocked 44.70 back in 1976. „I’m looking forward to running in Ostrava, and a having very good performance,” he said for the organizers. Czech record holder and fresh European Indoor Champion Pavel Maslak is looking forward to meet with him. „I always like to compete in Ostrava as it the region where I was born. My family will come into the stadium to support me and I hope to attack my own national record,” said Maslak. His national mark from last year is 44.91. James will open this weekend in Nassau his season and Maslak plans his first international race at Shanghai Diamond League.

OTHER NEWS

MOSCOW (RUS): IAAF Council reviewed preparations for Congress including the various Constitutional and Competition Rule Change Proposals. At the last meeting of Council in November 2012, a Strategic Plan was agreed in principle, outlining a Vision statement, 7 Missions and 12 Objectives for the IAAF. The fundamentals of this new 4 year IAAF Strategic Plan (2013-2016) – its vision, missions and objectives – were officially endorsed by the Council on 23 November 2012.

MOSCOW (RUS): in connection with IAAF Membership it was reported to Council that government interference in Tunisia had overturned the democratically elected national governing body in the country and imposed its own administration. Council took exception to such interference and reiterated the provisions of Article 4.1 of the IAAF Constitution by which national governing bodies that have not been democratically elected in accordance with their constitutions shall not be recognised by the IAAF.

MOSCOW (RUS): Russia should not be singled out unfairly as having a major doping problem despite several high-profile cases involving its top athletes, it was claimed by the head of the country’s athletics federation. Informs insidethegames. „Three years ago the national anti-doping agency Rusada was created to keep the use of drugs in sports under control,” Balakhnichev told the news agency Agence France-Presse. „It changed the situation radically as the Russian Sports Ministry upgraded the technical equipment of Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory up to the highest modern standards and increased the level of its staff’s skills. Now it is paying off, as the laboratory is not only testing but also regularly working out new methods of analysis that are currently used worldwide.”

PARIS (FRA): L´Équipe informs that Paris Marathon number of finishers with 38 690 is the second best ever. Only New York has more, the best 46 759 in 2011. Third is Chicago with 37 437 in 2012 ahead of London 36 672 in 2012 and Boston 35 868 in 1996.

BUDAPEST (HUN): Disgraced Hungarian discus thrower Robert Fazekas has launched legal action against a Canadian supplement company, claiming that one of its products contained banned anabolic steroids which led to him being thrown out of last year’s Olympics in London. A lawsuit has been filed by Fazekas and his coach, Adrian Annus, against MVP Biotech, the Buffalo News reported.

ATHENS (GRE): A large financial scandal disrupts the newly elected Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) administration board. The Greek athletics website stivosnews.gr revealed mismanagement in the athletics federation concerning the annual Athens Marathon budget, which allegedly led to a squandering of more than 8.500.000 euros in a period extending from 2006 to 2012. The irregularities were revealed in an interview of the newly elected treasurer of Greek Athletics Federation, Dimitris Andriopoulos published on www.stivosnews.gr. Following a thorough research of Federation’s financial records, Andriopoulos claimed that previous administration board directly assigned Marathon’s management with the finances.

MOSCOW (RUS): Senior coach of Russian high jump team Yevgeniy Zagorulko informed to All Sport news agency that European indoor champion Sergey Mudrov broke off his teamwork with coach Sergey Klyugin. “They parted in December but I definitely don’t know the cause of their breakup. Mudrov already was coaching by himself at training camp in Portugal. As senior coach of our national high jump team I must help everyone who needs that. That is why I make some consultations for Mudrov especially in his technical practices as Sergey will open the summer season at Diamond League event in Doha on May 10.” Zagorulko also added that he negotiates with Klyugin and Mudrov trying to renew their cooperation but unsuccessfully yet.

ROTTERDAM (NED): Ethiopian Getu Feleke is ready for his appearance at the ABN AMRO Rotterdam Marathon he toldlosseveter.nl. Feleke announced he wants to win the race while adding he wants to break the 2:03 mark. That would mean in another words to attack the world record. Feleke is currently training under the guidance of Getaneh Tessema.

AMSTERDAM (NED): Dutch talented runner Jesper Van der Wielen is slowly returning to top form after illness kept him from competing in 2012 and early 2013. Van der Wielen contracted a virus while on holiday in Egypt and has since been feeling tired. However, the young athlete hopes to regain full force before the European U23 championships this summer.

PARIS (FRA): Benjamin Malaty, the first French athlete to cross the finish line at this weekend’s Paris Marathon, told athle.com his time of 2:12:00 does not surprise him. Malaty had shown progress in training and now is ranked as the best French marathoner at the moment. The 26-year old also reached the selection standard for the IAAF World championships in Moscow where he hopes to gain extra experience at an international level.

BERLIN (GER): German thrower David Storl has started an extensive training camp in Portugal with the hopes of being in top shape again during the summer season. Storl has not competed since August last year and took some months off to let his body heal from minor injuries and surgery. In a practice competition he managed 20.73 so far but stressed that when returning from Portugal he should be in much better shape.

BIRMINGHAM (GBR): Birmingham has been confirmed as the host city for the new International Paralympic Committee (IPC) athletics series finals with the event due to be held at Alexander Stadium on June 29. As revealed by insidethegames in January this year, Birmingham will host the
2013 IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final following a series of global meetings in the style of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League. The IPC Athletics Grand Prix started last month with a three-day meet in Dubai where 460 athletes from 32 countries were in attendance. Further Grand Prix events will follow over the coming months in Beijing, Săo Paulo, Grosseto in Italy, Arizona and Berlin before the seventh and final event in Birmingham. Writes insidethegames.

RESULTS

SACRAMENTO (USA, Apr 7): Ethiopian Tesfaye Alemayehu won the 3rd Credit Union SacTown 10 Miler in 47:42 over Shadrack Biwott 48:39. Olympian Kim Conley set a course record in her second-ever 10-miler in 56:11. From RRW.

CHARLESTON (USA, Apr 6): Kenyan Simon Ndirangu won the 36th Cooper River Bridge Run in 28:06. Second Julius Kogo at the 10 km 28:49 over Bobby Mack 28:50. World CC medalist Hiwot Ayalew won the women race in 32:18 ahead of Ogla Kimaiyo 32:20 and young Sofia Shemsu 32:57 with Jane Murage also 32:57.

PORT OF SPAIN (TRI, Apr 6): Michelle-Lee Ahye surprised at President´s Classic meet with personal best 11.07 at the 100 m. Wind information is not known.

MARINGA (BRA, Apr 6): World finalist Bruno de Barros clocked at local meet 10.38 (+1.7, 10.36 -2.2 in heats) and 21.03 (0.0) in sprints.

BARQUISIMETO (VEN, Apr 6): New national high jump record for Venezuela. Eure Yanez cleared 224 cm.

FAYETTEVILLE (USA, Apr 8): Makeba Alcide scored new St. Lucia heptathlon record 5882 points. Terry Prentice got 7813 in decathlon.