Dakar – Senegal, Apr 16, 2014: In its second and last day of business in the Senegalese Capital of Dakar, the IAAF Council decided that the Russian city of Kazan will be the host of the 2016 edition of the IAAF World Junior Championships on Tuesday (15).
Kazan is well-known as Russia’s ‘Capital of Sport’ and hosted a very successful edition of the World University Games in 2013.
A number of top Russian athletes are from the city. Kazan will also host the 2014 World Fencing Championships, the 2015 FINA World Aquatics Championships as well as matches in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Kazan’s Central Stadium is a state of the art facility with 22,600 seats and an adjacent indoor stadium for warming up. The world’s best junior athletes will also be able to enjoy the experience of an athletes’ village, built for the World University Games last year.
In other business, Council heard a full status report from the organisers of the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing as well as presentations from the IAAF Area Associations outlining details of their own Strategic Plans which assess the challenges and opportunities ahead as they seek to develop and promote the sport of athletics at Area level.
No fewer than 11 IAAF Committee and Commission reports were studied as well, and Council will next meet just prior to the forthcoming IAAF World Junior Championships in Eugene (22-27 July).
President Macky Sall is awarded IAAF Golden Order of Merit
During a break in Council proceedings, the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, invited its members to the Presidential Palace in Dakar where he invested Lamine Diack with the title of Commander of the Order of the Golden Lion, and long serving Council Members Roberto Gesta de Melo, Bob Hersh, Abby Hoffman, Isaiah Kiplagat, Jose Maria Odriozola, Jung-Ki Park, Irena Szewinska and Hansjorg Wirz, with the award of Officer of the Order of the Golden Lion.
The decorations followed the award of the Commander of the Order of the Golden Lion to their fellow Council Member Nawal El Moutawakel in a ceremony which took place on Sunday (13) during the annual gala dinner organized by the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Senegal.
At the Palace reception, President Macky was presented with the IAAF’s highest honour, the Golden Order of Merit, and accepted it on behalf of the Senegalese people and their historic commitment to the sport of Athletics.
In Memoriam
Council stopped its work at exactly 18:49 yesterday, the anniversary of the Boston Marathon terrorist attack, to hold a minute of silence in memory of the victims and to support the families and friends of those who suffered in the outrage. —- IAAF
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