Christian
Schenk directs the new ISTAF to a brighter future
4
June 2002 -
Berlin - Christian Schenk is ready
to fight for the future of ISTAF. The Olympic Decathlon champion from Seoul 1988
is the new meeting director of this year’s
final
IAAF Golden League
meeting, which will
take place on 6 September in Berlin.
Following the financial collapse of the ISTAF GmbH, which was in charge of Germany’s most prestigious athletics meeting for several years, a new company was set up immediately. So despite all the troubles and rumours, this year’s ISTAF is safe.
“I don’t look back to what happened in the past – I am working on the future“, Christian Schenk says. While the former ISTAF GmbH belonged to three local clubs which did not usually see eye to eye, the new company looks much more professional. The president of the Berlin Association of Industry and Commerce, Werner Gegenbauer, holds a major part of the Leichtathletik-Veranstaltungs-GmbH (LVG), which is the new owner of the ISTAF. The marketing company of the Deutscher Leichtathletik-Verband (DLV) is, among others, also involved.
Christian Schenk was asked if he had ever thought of turning down the job offer because of the bad news the former ISTAF GmbH had produced in the recent past?
“This is no question for a former decathlete! I will do my very best for the ISTAF,” said the 37 year-old Schenk, who moved from Rostock to Berlin some time ago, and is the owner of a sports marketing and promotion agency.
Two things make him optimistic concerning the ISTAF, although there are just three months left for preparations –
“When I was in Nairobi for the presentation of the Berlin bid I realised, for the first time, that it is possible for Berlin politicians, the local economy and athletics officials to pull together.“
The other decisive question for Schenk was whether the organisers in the background would continue working with the LVG. Yes “as this is the case, I can’t see any problems concerning the limited time left until 6 September.“
As Christian Schenk has never before been a meeting director for an event as prestigious as the ISTAF, he will receive help from a prominent man in the sport: Svein Arne Hansen. The meeting director of the IAAF Golden League in Oslo has agreed to support ISTAF.
“Svein Arne Hansen is like a godfather to us. The meeting in Oslo is in a similar situation to us. They also don’t have the biggest budget but still produce a very good meeting“, Christian Schenk said.
So after the meeting in Oslo on 28 June, Svein Arne Hansen will help care for ISTAF. Especially concerning the contracts for the athletes, Hansen could be a great help. The new ISTAF company has also agreed to pay those athletes still waiting for their money from last year.
The new ISTAF company will face yet another task this year. Due to the rebuilding of the Olympic Stadium, which will be finished by the end of 2004, this year’s meeting will be moved to the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark.
This will be an exception for this year only, as in the Olympic Stadium the whole infield will be lowered by about two and a half metres during the German football season’s summer break. Additionally, the spectators‘ seats in the home straight will be broken up for rebuilding.
So instead of having the IAAF Golden League final on a building site, the organisers have chosen to change to the Jahn-Stadium. It is the same arena that saw the Olympischer Tag in former times. It was the IAAF’s Grand Prix I Meeting in the GDR. And it was here, where Uwe Hohn threw his javelin to the famous World mark of 104.80 metres in 1984. The stadium was partially rebuilt four years ago, when the German championships were held there. It holds around 19,000 seats.
“The stadiums in Oslo and Zurich are not much bigger“, Christian Schenk said and added: “In a full stadium we will have a great atmosphere. And spectators will be very close to the athletes.“
In the Jahn-Stadium, the competitive conditions will in some respects be the same as in the old Olympic Stadium, as the track surface is not the firmest and there is always the chance of a head wind. But for middle and long distance events as well as the throws it could prove a great venue.
After its recent problems the new ISTAF team seems to be back on track for future success.
