Gothenburg Mayor Jorgen Linder, accepting the IAAF World Athletics City Award from IAAF President Lamine Diack (© Bob Ramsak)
The city of Gothenburg, this week hosting the 19th European Athletics Championships, was awarded the IAAF World Athletics City Award at a ceremony on Monday (7 Aug) afternoon.
Gothenburg, which hosted the 1995 IAAF World Championships, is only the second city to receive the award, which recognizes the extraordinary support that communities offer to world athletics. Last year, Helsinki, host of two World Championships, was the first.
“I have extremely fond memories of the 1995 edition of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics where we can all remember performances that marked the history of our sport,” said IAAF President Lamine Diack, before presenting the award to Gothenburg mayor Jorgen Linder. “Who could ever forget Jonathan Edwards breaking the World record in the Triple Jump, Michael Johnson winning his historic 200m/400m double or Ana Quirot returning from a terrible accident, which almost cost her life, to win gold in the 800m.”
“Ever since that marvelous competition in 1995, Göteborg has continued to evolve as a meeting place for sporting events, congresses, cultural and entertainment events.”
Diack noted the hugely successful way in which the city has combined the European Championships with its annual cultural festival which has attracted tens of thousands of people to various areas of the city.
“The city has put on an impressive programme of entertainment with its City Festival with streets and squares transformed into festival venues,” Diack said. “It is a marvelous way to blend culture and sport - and make sure that the whole community is involved. [Sunday], Göteborg treated everyone to a spectacular opening ceremony in the city centre which was the first time that these championships have been officially opened outside the stadium.
Diack also noted the importance of the European Championships timing coinciding with a period during which Swedish athletes have been particularly successful.
“I am particularly happy that the current “golden generation” of Swedish athletes, who have contributed so much to World Athletics, will now have the opportunity to compete for major honours in front of a home crowd.”
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
