Countdown
The ten editions of the IAAF World Cup and the two so far of its successor, the IAAF Continental Cup, are all commemorated by the 100 exhibits in the second part of the IAAF Heritage World / Continental Cup - 1977 To 2018 - Exhibition that will open in Ostrava’s Forum Nova Karolina Shopping Centre on Tuesday 5 June.
The IAAF World Cup was inaugurated in 1977 and, prior to the arrival of the IAAF World Championships in 1983, was the most important and prestigious global athletics competition other than the Olympic Games.
During the political maelstroms and boycotts that enveloped the Olympic Games between 1976 and 1984, the first four editions of the IAAF World Cup between 1977 and 1985 had huge importance as competitions which drew the world’s top athletes together and this is reflected in the exhibits that cover this period of athletics’ history and heritage.
The World Cup’s successor, the IAAF Continental Cup, was founded in 2010 and is now contested every four years, the change of name and format reflecting how elite athletics competitions have adapted to changing public perceptions and demands in the 21st century.
Original 1977 commemorative film
Among the items from the IAAF Archives on display are commemorative programmes, posters, books and competition bibs as well as one the two original IAAF World Cup trophies.
The digital version of the original 1977 commemorative film of the inaugural edition of the IAAF World Cup in Athletics will be one of the videos playing in the exhibition.
In addition, each one of the IAAF Continental Cup Ostrava 2018 Ambassadors and Patrons has loaned the Exhibition important pieces of memorabilia with historical significance, including competition kit and spikes, from their own personal collections.
Overall, the second section of the Exhibition provides an appropriate and fascinating juxtaposition to the first part of the IAAF Heritage World / Continental Cup - 1977 To 2018 – Exhibition which focuses on the origins of athletics prior to the 20th century.
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
