The 3rd IAAF World Championships Tokyo 1991

Breaking from the norm, the 3rd IAAF World Championships left the European continent and traveled to Tokyo, Japan.





Poster of the IAAF World Championships Tokyo 1991



Emblem of the 3rd IAAF World Championships



Mascot of the 3rd IAAF World Championships



The hosting of the Championships in Asia was very significant to the athletics community for many reasons. This event gave international athletics an opportunity to spread to a land where  athletics was not well known creating a new and very passionate fan base. This World Championships was also one of the driving factions that helped to  develop Asian athletics to the level that it is today.

Though the previous two Championships were very successful, the IAAF World Championships was still in its early stages and it needed to be further developed. The IAAF worried that the World Championships might become an event that could be only enjoyed among countries in the European, American, and African continents. It was crucial for the IAAF to attract more Asian interests in the Event.

In deciding the host city of the 3rd IAAF World Championships the IAAF began to do extensive research on the area. The IAAF found that during the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the host country took home 29 Medals. Tokyo also boasted a 48,000 seat stadium had a history of hosting international competitions, including the 1958 Asian Games as well as the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964.

It was after all of these considerations that Tokyo was dubbed the Host City for the 3rd IAAF World Championships Tokyo 1991. The nations event history and it's strong economy proved to be a safe bet.

Tokyo National Stadium

The 3^rd IAAF World Championships saw 1,517 athletics from 167 Member Federations and 580,000 spectators from all over the world participated in the event, while also it was globally broadcasting to over 3.3 billion viewers. This was a one billion viewers increase over the 2^nd World Championships in Rome. The increased number clearly showed the importance of global TV broadcasting of athletics events.

The results of Tokyo World Championships suprised many of the fans.

The undefeatable Carl Lewis again took the gold medal in the 100m, but he did this while also setting a new World Record of 9.86 seconds. This race was incredibly close with Leroy Burrell was only 0.02 second behind Lewis and Dennis Mitchell taking third at just 0.05 behind the champion. The Silver and Bronze medalists were five to six years younger than Carl Lewis with a lot of potential for improvement. The improvements in the athletes' performance was astounding.

Carl Lewis

Mike Powell

Carl Lewis also took the Silver Medal in the long jump, being out jumped by fellow American, Mike Powell who also broke a World Record that day in the Long Jump of 8.95m.

Fans witnessed the birth of new rising stars but also saw the hero who kept his throne. Michael Johnson defeated all the star athletes in Men’s 200 meter while Sergey Bubka won his third gold medal in the Men’s Pole Vault.

The Soviet Union was the country took the most gold medals during the 3^rd IAAF World Championships, but it was the last international event that the Federation participated under that name.

Violinist Sarah Chang Becomes PR Ambassador for the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011

On 26 September 2010 the Daegu LOC had the pleasure to announce its newest PR Ambassador, the world renowned violinist, Ms. Sarah Chang.

The young violinist received this honor from Daegu City Mayor and LOC Co-president Mr. Bum-Il Kim during the 'Daegu City Symphony Orchestra Invitation Concert.'

Chang started playing the violin at age four and officially broke into the global scene at nine years old, with her official debut at the New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve Concert at the Lincoln Center. Furthering her pursuit for excellence the artist has also received many awards, including the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1992.

Now as one of the LOC's five PR Ambassadors, Sarah Chang joins the ranks with Pop Singer, Rain; Yong-Pil Cho; Popera Singer, Hyung-Joo Lim; and Master of Korean Classics, Soo-Kwan Park.

Eurosport, Europe’s Most Viewed Sports Channel, visits Daegu Stadium

If you are reading this blog, I know two things about you. You enjoy sports and you love Daegu!

As a sports enthusiast you know that there are many TV channels dedicated only to sports. Some showing local events, some international, but in each region there is always a favorite. This week Europes favorite sports network, Eurosport, came to visit us at Daegu Stadium.

Eurosport is the most viewed sports channel in Europe. With a satellite and cable network available to 59 countries and broadcasted in 20 different languages, it is certainly a household name.

This sports broadcasting giant came to Daegu to report on the LOC’s preparations as part of the Foreign Ad Project from the Korean Tourism Organization.

The four minute segment will consist of three sections – Introducing Daegu, Daegu Stadium, and an interview with the LOC’s Vice President and Secretary General, Mr. Dong-Hoo Moon.

The morning started off with reporter Pierre DEI MEO and the cameraman Christelle JAIME preparing to cover the stadium. They decided that as a first shot, they would like to shoot a general view of the stadium first. So we made the tough climb to the mountain behind the stadium, but to our dismay we had trouble seeing the entire stadium.

The solution, Climb higher!

So that’s what we did. We climbed and climbed until Pierre and Christelle could get the best possible shot of the stadium.

The hike was not easy, but the shot afterwards was completely worth it! After Pierre and Christelle recorded some more shots outside the stadium we made our way back into the host venue.

Once in the stadium, Christelle wanted to take a complete video shot of the inside of Daegu Stadium. She did this by opening the sunroof of the van and standing up! In order to get the perfect shot we had to circle the track many times. I actually got dizzy!

The tour was great, but I wish they could have seen the stadium when it was at its full glory and not undergoing renovations.

As you can see, there are some major renovations happening. The stadium is getting a brand new Mondo track, a 4 billion KRW sound system, and much much more! Our new sound system will eliminate those pesky echoes and deliver the clearest messages to the athletes and spectators.

Pierre and Christelle toured every corned of the stadium, shooting every possible angle.

I wonder how this will play out on television?

I can't wait until they come back and are able to see the completed renovations during the Championships!

I would like to personally thank Pierre and Christelle for their visit and all of their hard work. I look forward to seeing your report!

▶View the video : Eurosport - Business Class

National Marathon Team Visits Daegu to Inspect the Daegu 2011 Marathon Course

Today was incredibly hot; everybody was looking for shade and a cool drink, everybody except for the Korean National Marathon Team.

Mr. Yong-Cho WHANG, the national Marathon coach, gathered his athletes at Gukchae-bosang Memorial Park early this morning to prepare for next year’s Marathon. The athletes were just as enthusiastic as they could not pass up on this great opportunity to acclimate to Daegu’s summer weather and the new course. These two factors will determine next years Marathon Champion.

Today the athletes began the day with group warm-ups and jesting. The runners then took their marks at the Starting Line and began their 40km race. This was the first time the athletes have ever run this course.

Young-Jo Hwang is explaining the training course to officials.



The athletes warming up in the park





As I said before, the training began at Gukchae-bosang Memorial Park, then heading through Jung-gu Jct., Dusan Jct., Daegu Bank Jct., and Banwoldang Intersection and coming back to the starting point. To ensure the athletes safety, the athletes had their blood pressure checked at every 10km and had their lactic acid build up every 5km. These tests showed that because of the heat, the athletes began to experience fatigue much earlier than usual.



Korea’s Men’s Marathoners!



Korea’s Women’s Marathoners!



Todays training went off without a hitch, there were no injuries and the athletes got their first feel of the Daegu 2011 Marathon Course.

The 2nd IAAF World Championships in Athletics Rome 1987

As you remember our last story was about the first ever IAAF World Championships, held in Helsinki, Finland. Well lets move forward four years to the 2^nd IAAF World Championships.

On 29 August ~ 6 September 1987, the 2^nd IAAF World Championships made its way to the ancient city of Rome. It had been four years since the inaugural even held in Helsinki, Finland. In terms of participation, there weren’t too many differences between the first and second World Championships.  Helsinki brought in 1,572 athletes from 153 Member Federations while Rome brought in 1,451 athletes from 159 Member Federations. But it was the number of spectators that greatly differed from a respectable 322,402 spectators at Helsinki to an impressive 518,000 in Rome.

Poster & Mascot of the IAAF World Championships Rome 1987

In Addition to increased spectator participation, the Event saw a large increase in the number of television viewers. During the 1st IAAF World Championships, the event received approximately 1.3 billion views on television while in 1987 the viewership jumped to over 2 billion people!

There were many differences between the two broadcasts, but the main had to be the difference between black & white broadcasts and color. In 1983, the majority of television owners were only able to see the event in black and white, but it was the Rome Event that broke the mold and first broadcasted the event in natural color.



“Stadio Olimpico” The Largest Stadium in Rome



The Event was held in Rome's the largest stadium, the “Stadio Olimpico.” This venue was constructed in 1910 under the original name of “Stadio dei Cipressi,”and held this name until the late 1930’s, when it was then changed to “Stadio dei Centomila”, and the venue then received its current name “Stadio Olimpico” in 1960, after hosting the 17th Summer Olympic Games.



The 1987 World Championships hosted one of the most anticipated athletics duels in athletics history, as USA’s Carl Lewis and Canada’s Ben Johnson sprinted for the gold in the Men’s 100m. At the time of the event Johnson powered past Lewis taking both the Gold Medal and the World Record, breaking Lewis’ 9.93 with a time of 9.83. But if you look into the athletics history books you will find Carl Lewis’ name as the victor. Why is this?

USA’s Carl Lewis and Canada’s Ben Johnson

One year after the 1987 World Championships, Ben Johnson competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games earning the gold medal and setting a new World Record of 9.79s in the Men’s 100m. It was after this race that a doping test came up hot. The Canadian hero tested positive for anabolic steroids. Johnson then later admitted that he had also used the same drug in Rome at the 1987 IAAF World Championships when he had beat Carl Lewis. After this information was released, Johnson was stripped of his title and the award was given to Carl Lewis.

The Daegu 2011 Organizing Committee is working tirelessly to ensure that the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011 is a “clean” event, and to host the first doping violation free event since 1983.

Click here to visit our preparations for hosting a ‘clean’ World Championships

The Official Website of the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011

Do you desire more of the most current and up todate information about the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011? If so, then you need to check out the LOCs Official Web-site (http://www.daegu2011.org/).

The new user-friendly layout of the web-site with its distinctive blue color makes it visual treat!

 

The Official Website



The web-site provides information in both English and Korean. So if you are daring you can test your English -> Korean language skills.



The webpage for children



Additionally we have created a special childrens web-site (Korean). To help excite the younger generation about our event! The childrens web-site features some really interesting games and stories.

 

On our web-site, you will be able to find everything from the Competition timetable and ticketing to fun facts about athletics and Daegu City.

Come visit us and experience the wonderful world of athletics!

D-365 Countdown and Ticket Launching Ceremony Video

Do you remember the D-365 Countdown Event and the Ticket Launching Ceremony?

It seems like just yesterday that we celebrated the D-365 Countdown and Ticket Launching Event. The event was packed with people who excitedly showed their support for the upcoming World Championships. We also enjoyed performances by many popular music groups such as SG Wannabe and Davichi!

Check out this video, and you too can get a feel for the passion of Daegu and its citizens.

Enjoy!