9 May 2000IAAF President Lamine Diack, accompanied by General Secretary Istvan Gyulai, is currently in Edmonton for his first visit to the site of the 8th IAAF World Championships in Athletics Edmonton 2001.
During his visit, the IAAF President will examine the state of progress of work on the Edmonton (Commonwealth) Stadium, which will host the IAAF World Championships from 3-12 August 2001, and discuss various organisational issues concerning this major event.
Excitement is building, and plans are being put into action as work starts on several of the facilities to be used during the World Championships.
Over $22 million ($Can) is being spent on construction and renovation work in Commonwealth Stadium (the main competition venue) the bulk of which towards the expansion of the east and west concourses to provide adequate room and facilities for spectators and generally to improve the use of the facility.
Demolition crews began work in early May dismantling Clarke Stadium, on the site adjacent to the Commonwealth Stadium. Replacing Clarke will be a new, CAN$4.35 million, 1300 permanent and 1500 temporary seat facility - yet to be named - that will provide an excellent warm-up venue for the athletes of the 8th IAAF World Championships in Athletics.
Among its features will be a Mondo surface, appropriate space for field event warm up, new dressing rooms and restrooms. In the future it will be a superb stadium for amateur sport and amateur athletics in Edmonton.
When Commonwealth Stadium opened in 1978 for the Commonwealth Games, the 60,000 seat venue became the home of the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Eskimos. The club had previously played in the 22,000 seat Clarke. After that time, the facility was used for high school and junior football, soccer and athletics meets.
Demolition of and clean up of the west grandstand will take approximately three weeks. When that aspect is finished, construction can commence on the new facility in mid June. Construction will wrap up at Rollie Miles Park in June, on a $1.85 million practice facility there, complete with a Mondo track. And the University of Alberta is completing plans for a facility on land there – again, complete with a Mondo track for adequate practice for the World Championship athletes.