In other awards on the day when the Council awarded the 2019 World Championships to Doha ahead of Eugene and Barcelona, the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships went to Kampala, which was vying for the honour with Manama, capital of Bahrain, and the only bidder for the 2017 IAAF World Youth Championships, Nairobi, was confirmed as host after convincing the Council to endorse its right.

Ostrava has a long history of staging top-class athletics events, including IAAF World Athletics Series competitions, and a high-powered team in Monaco led by Marcel Chladek, the Czech Republic's Minister for Education, Youth and Sports, and the Czech Athletics Federation President Libor Varhanik produced what the IAAF gave evidence of what the IAAF described as "an impressive commitment to staging the Cup, an impression which was reinforced with an outstanding presentation."

The dates of the 2018 Continental Cup have yet to be fixed, but it is expected to be held in early September.

Ostrava has run its hugely successful one-day Golden Spike meeting at the Městský Stadion since 2001 as part of the IAAF World Challenge, during which time Usain Bolt has made six appearances and there have been a total of nine world records or all-time best performances.

The Minister announced: "I can guarantee the full support of the Czech Government and Czech Republic. Lumir Palyza, Deputy Mayor of Ostrava, then assured the IAAF Council members about the City Stadium reconstruction which is currently underway.

"We are spending more than $20 millions on that currently, and our stadium will be a modern top athletics facility with capacity of 15,000 spectators," he said.

Libor Varhanik, President of Czech Athletics Federation, explained how the event could draw on the experience of the team which has run the Golden Spike meeting.

"We have in mind full set of new ideas how to organise this event to touch the young generation," said Varhanik.

"It will be all about video boards, high technology, spectators involvement, fan zones and trophies for best team and athletes."

Among the delegation members was double Olympic 400m hurdles champion Felix Sanchez of Dominican Republic.

"Ostrava has great environment for the athletes with hotel so close to warm up track and the main stadium," said Sanchez, who has competed five times in Ostrava and won twice.

"We as athletes like that not to think about shuttle transport when you need to go to the stadium."


Kampala will be only the second African city to host the IAAF World Cross Country Championships after they awarded the 2017 event ©IAAF

Other athletes backing Ostrava's bid included United States competitors Ashton Eaton, the world and Olympic decathlon champion, LeShawn Merritt, world 400 metres champion, and Allyson Felix, the Olympic 200m champion.

Representing the Ostrava youngsters was junior long jumper Veronika Sadkova, a Donetsk World Youth finalist in 2013.

"We are crazy with sports and athletics in Ostrava," she said, adding that schools would be interacting with visiting Continental teams through a fan base.

The final video offered a view of the city and the people living there.

"This is Ostrava. That is what we are," said the Czech Republic's former world and Olympic decathlon champion Roman Sebrle in the clip.

Alfons Juck, bid secretary and Golden Spike Meet Manager, added: "We also want to thank our friends from Bydgoszcz for fair competition and wish them all the best into the future as they for sure will remain the main athletics city in Poland."

Bydgoszcz, the Polish city which hosted the 2004 European Cup in athletics, had more recently staged the 2010 and 2013 versions of the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

The victory of Ugandan capital Kampala means the IAAF World Cross Country Championships will go back to Africa a decade after they were last held on the continent, in neighbouring Kenya.

Charles Bakabulindi, Uganda's Minister for Education and Sport, and Ugandan Athletics Federation Domenic Otucet led the successful bid for the country's first-ever IAAF World Athletics Series competition.

The Kenyan capital was the only candidate for the World Youth Championships of 2017 and the Nairobi delegation convincingly persuaded the Council to endorse its right to host this event, the second IAAF World Athletics Series competition to be held in the country after the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombassa. 

The Nairobi bid team included Dr Hassan Wario Arero, the Cabinet Principal Secretary at the Ministry for Sports Culture and the Arts, as well as local Government and Athletics Kenya officials.

Also included in the delegation were the top athletes Mercy Cherono and Jairus Birech, the latter the 2014 Diamond Race winner in the men's 3,000m steeplechase.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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