by Larry Eder
Meseret Defar, photo by PhotoRun.net
Nick Willis, photo by PhotoRun.net
Jenn Suhr, photo by PhotoRun.net
Yohan Blake, photo by PhotoRun.net
Global Athletics and Marketing today announced a partnership between adidas, the city of Boston and GA&M. The new event, the two-day adidas BOOST Boston Games will provide an exciting, fast format approach to track & field, incorporating the best of traditional athletics and the exciting interaction of a street games format, all in the city of Boston!
With athletes such as World record holder and Olympic gold medalist Jenn Suhr, World record holder and multi World Championship and Olympic medalist Meseret Defar and Olympic silver medalist Nick Willis, one of our sports’ most innovative management teams, GA&M, plus one of our sports’most iconic brands adidas are working with one of the premier sports city’s in the country. Add to the mix a resurging Yohan Blake, Olympic silver medalist in the 100 meters, and you will make the streets of Boston rock!
“Boston is a sports city.” noted Global Athletics’ Mark Wetmore. This approach to showcasing our sport is what the IAAF, the governing body of the sport, has been talking aobut for several years. How do you bring young fans to the sport? You bring the sport to them!
The entire announcement from Global Athletics & Marketing is provided below, and a link to the pdf is a click away: ABBG-PR1.pdf
‘Street Meet’ to Debut in Heart of Boston
World Record-holders to Highlight adidas Boost Boston Games June 17-18
BOSTON, Mass. (April 25, 2016)–The adidas Boost Boston Games, a two-day festival featuring a fan-friendly track event and the city’s first-ever “street meet,” will debut on June 17-18, organizers announced today.
Among the top international stars set for Boston are Olympic medalists Jenn Suhr, Meseret Defar, Nick Willis, and Yohan Blake.
In addition, the prestigious adidas Dream Mile and Dream 100, which for the past several years have showcased some of the nation’s best prep athletes at the adidas Grand Prix in NYC, will move to Boston as a highlight of the event. The Dream Mile annually produces many of the fastest times in the nation, and the Dream 100 has featured prep stars who have quickly become medal contenders in Rio.
At the adidas Boost Boston Games, races 400 meters and longer will be held Friday evening, June 17, at George Dilboy Memorial Stadium in Somerville, and will be highlighted by a festival at which fans can mingle with Olympic stars. The street meet, which will put sprints, hurdles, pole vault, and long jump in the spotlight, is set for Saturday afternoon, June 18, and will feature a Mondo track constructed on historic Charles Street between the Boston Public Garden and Boston Common. The street meet will be broadcast live on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN).
“The City of Boston is home to some of the best sports teams and fans in the country, and I am excited that this June we will welcome the adidas Boost Boston Games to our city,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “The games will provide a unique opportunity for fans not only to interact with some of the world’s greatest athletes, but also to cheer for local youth and high school athletes who will be sharing the stage. I thank adidas for choosing Boston for a great event that will allow us to showcase our city to the world.”
Suhr, Defar, and Willis are among the most-popular track and field stars in Boston. Suhr, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist and World Indoor Record-holder, launched her career here in 2005 and has set three American Indoor Records at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, while Defar (Ethiopia), a two-time Olympic gold medalist and former World Record-holder at 5000 meters as well as a six-time IAAF World Champion, set a World Indoor Record for 2 Miles at the Reggie Lewis in 2008. Willis (New Zealand), the 2008 Olympic silver medalist at 1500 meters, has won the Mile five times at the Reggie Lewis and is also a two-time winner of the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, held each year on Boston Marathon weekend.
Blake (Jamaica) is the 2011 IAAF World Champion at 100 meters and 2012 Olympic silver medalist at both 100 meters and 200 meters, and owns two World Records as a member of Jamaica’s 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter relay teams. His personal best of 9.69 seconds equals the second-fastest time in history for 100 meters, and his PB of 19.26 gives him sole possession of the second-fastest time ever at 200 meters. Blake will be making his Boston debut.
The adidas Boost Boston Games is produced by Boston-based Global Athletics and Marketing, Inc., an athlete-management and sports marketing firm that from 2005 to 2015 served as organizer of the adidas Grand Prix in NYC and since 1996 has given Boston fans an annual, world-class indoor meet at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College.
“It has long been our dream to bring an innovative, world-class outdoor event to our home city of Boston,” said Mark Wetmore, president of Global Athletics and Marketing, Inc. “With the support of our partner, adidas, we’re excited to launch this new experience, where fans can almost touch their Olympic heroes while they’re competing and actually shake their hands afterward.”
More U.S. and international stars and further details on the adidas Boost Boston Games, part of the 2016 USATF Championship Series, will be announced soon on the event website at http://www.adidasboostboston.com; on Facebook at adidasBoostBostonGames; and on Twitter at @adidasBoostBos.
