The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Kyokujitsu Daijusho in Japanese) (© c)
The Government of Japan has today announced that it will bestow the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun on IAAF President Lamine Diack.
This is the highest ranked decoration of Japan which can be conferred on foreigners with the exception of Royal Family members or Heads of State, and is given to President Diack in honour of his outstanding contribution to the diffusion and progress of the sports as well as to the successful realisation of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Osaka 2007.
The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Kyokujitsu Daijusho in Japanese) is Japan’s oldest award and is bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. It was established in 1875 by the Emperor Meiji.
It consists of a red and white sash 140mm wide and a badge with a Rising Sun device in the centre surrounded by white rays and superimposed over a silver imperial chrysanthemum device (or it can feature a ray of sunlight radiating from the rising sun). The attachment is shaped into a chrysanthemum.
President Diack will receive the distinction on 6 November 2007 at 10:30hrs (GMT + 9hrs) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
IAAF