Rome, 5 Aug. (LaPresse) – “The 2029 World Championships in Rome? I’m particularly keen on this because, having been unable to compete in the 1987 Championships as an athlete, I hope in some way to be able to take part in a World Championships on home soil”: so said FIDAL president Stefano Mei, European 10,000-metre champion forty years ago in Stuttgart, speaking about Rome’s bid to host the 2029 World Championships after 42 years. “ This is a wish not only of the president, but of the whole of Italian athletics. We have done a tremendous job: I must thank the staff and everyone who has put together a project that is sustainable, credible and suited to an event that can only be compared to the Olympics. Like it or not, athletics is the foundation of all sports: two-thirds of the Games’ revenue comes from athletics”, he added. The FIDAL president went on to thank “Minister Abodi and Minister Giorgetti, with whom I have been in contact over recent months: they have studied the project carefully, worked hard to provide us with significant support, and I am very pleased because receiving the go-ahead from the evaluation panel is a guarantee that the project is sound. But that’s not all: World Athletics has described our budget as ‘a strong budget’, but we’re up against London, where sport is certainly not an afterthought. Munich has extraordinary traditions. And I’d also keep a close eye on Nairobi, in Kenya – a country that has topped the medal table in middle-distance running for years and now in other disciplines too – but above all, Africa has never hosted the World Championships. I’m aware of our strengths but also of who we’re up against. It will be a demanding but very stimulating challenge. These last six years, as I was saying, have been the most fruitful period for Italian athletics in every field, both senior and junior: we deserve the World Championships.” Italy’s first choice is the 2029 edition, rather than 2031. “Together with Sport e Salute, we’ve concluded that this would be the ideal date,” explained Mei. “In 2032, the European Football Championships will be taking place and we’d end up ‘clogging up’ the Olympic Stadium for two years. So our preference is for 2029, and it would also be a treat for our Tokyo Olympic champions, who I’m sure would love to take part. And if World Athletics were to choose us for 2031… we’re ready.”
Athletics, Mei: ‘Hosting the World Championships in Rome is the whole movement’s wish; we’ve done a great job’
Rome, 5 Aug. (LaPresse) – “The 2029 World Championships in Rome? I’m particularly keen on this because, having been unable to compete in the 1987 Championships as an athlete, I hope in some way to be able to take part in a World Championships on home soil”: so said FIDAL president Stefano Mei, European 10,000-metre champion forty years ago in Stuttgart, speaking about Rome’s bid to host the 2029 World Championships after 42 years. “ This is a wish not only of the president, but of the whole of Italian athletics. We have done a tremendous job: I must thank the staff and everyone who has put together a project that is sustainable, credible and suited to an event that can only be compared to the Olympics. Like it or not, athletics is the foundation of all sports: two-thirds of the Games’ revenue comes from athletics”, he added. The FIDAL president went on to thank “Minister Abodi and Minister Giorgetti, with whom I have been in contact over recent months: they have studied the project carefully, worked hard to provide us with significant support, and I am very pleased because receiving the go-ahead from the evaluation panel is a guarantee that the project is sound. But that’s not all: World Athletics has described our budget as ‘a strong budget’, but we’re up against London, where sport is certainly not an afterthought. Munich has extraordinary traditions. And I’d also keep a close eye on Nairobi, in Kenya – a country that has topped the medal table in middle-distance running for years and now in other disciplines too – but above all, Africa has never hosted the World Championships. I’m aware of our strengths but also of who we’re up against. It will be a demanding but very stimulating challenge. These last six years, as I was saying, have been the most fruitful period for Italian athletics in every field, both senior and junior: we deserve the World Championships.” Italy’s first choice is the 2029 edition, rather than 2031. “Together with Sport e Salute, we’ve concluded that this would be the ideal date,” explained Mei. “In 2032, the European Football Championships will be taking place and we’d end up ‘clogging up’ the Olympic Stadium for two years. So our preference is for 2029, and it would also be a treat for our Tokyo Olympic champions, who I’m sure would love to take part. And if World Athletics were to choose us for 2031… we’re ready.”
