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During her trip last week to Ostrava in the Czech Republic to attend the opening of the IAAF Heritage World / Continental Cup – 1977 to 2018 – Exhibition in the Forum Nova Karolina Shopping Centre, Australia’s two-time world 400m hurdles champion Jana Pittman made an exceptionally generous donation to the IAAF Heritage Collection.
Pittman, who is one of four international Ambassadors of the IAAF Continental Cup Ostrava 2018, had already agreed to loan a number of items for display at the exhibition which will run for three months until the last day of the Continental Cup on Sunday 9 September. These items included her 2003 World Championships gold medal, competition top and number.
Minutes after her arrival in Ostrava, Pittman handed over her 2003 memorabilia for the display and unexpectedly with them came an Australian team bodysuit from the 2000 Olympic Games. The bodysuit has become engraved as an iconic image of those Olympics following the one famously worn by Pittman’s mentor and heroine Cathy Freeman during her 400m victory.
If that was not surprise enough, IAAF Heritage was especially honoured when, having seen the exhibition and been impressed, Pittman generously decided to donate the bodysuit to the permanent IAAF Heritage Collection.
“I’m really pleased to be able to contribute a significant piece of athletics memorabilia to IAAF Heritage which I hope will assist in the preservation of athletics’ past and in turn help excite a new generation of fans to the magic of our sport,” said Pittman.
The bodysuit is one of 200 exhibits on display in the exhibition for the next three months.
The IAAF Heritage World / Continental Cup - 1977 To 2018 - Exhibition is kindly supported by the International Athletics Foundation, ASICS, Seiko, TDK and Mondo and is delivered by IAAF Heritage along with the Czech Athletics Federation and the LOC of the IAAF Continental Cup Ostrava 2018. We thank the Forum Nova Karolina Shopping Centre for their generous assistance in hosting the exhibition.
IAAF
