IAAF Launch 2004 - Charmaine Crooks, IAAF President Lamine Diack, HSH Prince Albert of Monaco, Sergey Bubka, Jean Pierre Schoebel (© c)
HSH Prince Albert of Monaco was the special guest of honour this afternoon for a live IAAF TV Broadcast and Webcast which launched the summer season of Athletics.
At 1500hrs CET (GMT – 1300), the live launch began in the Technopole television studio of the Gildo Pastor Centre which is situated in the Fontvieille district of Monaco, a most appropriate venue considering that the studio’s are adjacent to the Stade Louis II, the home to the annual IAAF World Athletics Final.
The proceedings were hosted by IAAF President Lamine Diack and had as their compere Charmaine Crooks, who oversaw the launch on stage.
The focus of attention of the programme was the new TDK Golden League and the other main track and field competitions of 2004, which include the 3rd IAAF World Junior Championships in Athletics (Grosseto, Italy, 12-18 July), the IAAF World Athletics Final (Hammer Throw – Szombathely, Hungary 5 September, and Monaco 18/19 September), and of course the XVIII Olympic Games (18-29 August, Athens, Greece).
“2004 is an Olympic year and every athlete dreams of competing at the Games at least once in a lifetime,” said IAAF President Diack. “Athens will be one of the most open Olympics for years and will show the beauty and the drama of Athletics.”
“We also have the World Juniors, where our future stars will emerge, and the World Athletics Final here in Monaco, where we gather the heroes of the year for the climax of the season, and linking all this together will be the TDK Golden League.”
“For the first time since 1998, the Golden League has a title sponsor and will now be known as the TDK Golden League. This corporation supports the concept of linking the best one day meetings in the world and offering a share of a 1 million dollar Jackpot to athletes who can win at all six meetings. The TDK Golden League is a shop window for the sport.”
There was plenty of historical footage of the IAAF Golden League and other top competitions shown, with exclusive interviews with World Junior 200m record holder Usain Bolt, and ‘Million Dollar Mutola’, the Mozambique 800m legend who last year so famously became the first athlete to win the Golden Jackpot outright.
As well as HSH Prince Albert and Lamine Diack, the stage was full of other star guests including four of this season’s Jackpot contenders, Christian Olsson, Kajsa Bergqvist, Wilson Kipketer and Kim Gevaert.
Pole Vault legend Sergey Bubka, Wilfried Meert - Spokesman of the TDK Golden League Meetings - and Jean Pierre Schoebel - Director of the Monaco World Athletics Final - were also on hand, along with a packed studio audience to give this start to the 2004 summer season a rousing launch.
IAAF
