Moscow Open

IAAF event
tively little money you can
attract the best athletes in the
world to the competitions.”
“What is your dream in
your new job?”
“My dream as an organiser
remains the “Stade de France”,
70,000 spectators and enough
money to invite the best 3 in
every event. However, under
the present restraints, I would
be happy with competitions in
the “Stade Charléty”. It is my
job now to negotiate with my
partners and discuss the perspective
of moving competitions
to the “Stade Charléty”,
a municipal stadium which
is given to us free-of-charge.
We have only just finished renewing
the “Stade de France”
track. To be precise we finished
this morning. “Stade
Charléty” is going to be at my
disposal for a whole week and
I intend to hold different children’s
events there. Now it is
possible for everyone to come
to “Stade Charléty” and train
there free-of-charge.”
“Is the tendency of transferring
the biggest athletics
tournaments to smaller stadiums
a sign of the decreasing
popularity of athletics? Ber-
30 | www.athletics-magazine.com
lin is also going to withdraw
its competition from the big
Olympic Stadium.”
“I think that even in the big
cities, the number of spectators
for big athletic competitions
has always been around
30-35,000 people and I think
there is nothing significant
in the fact of us moving the
competitions to smaller stadiums.”
“But you have to admit
that Paris is a special city in
the attitude of its inhabitants
and its authorities towards
sport?”
“Yes, in Paris, the government
and local authorities at
different levels extend a big
influence over sport and love
it. I have staked my reputation
on attracting the public who
live in the suburbs and I want
to cut down the ticket price
for these people.”
“What is the role of the
French Athletics Federation
in the holding the Parisian
competition?”
“I am not only the General
Manager of the competition
but also the General Manager
of “SAOS” company of which
90% belongs to the French
Athletic Federation. In this
case, I am an employee of the
French Athletic Federation
and the competition belongs
to it. Besides this, I have my
own business in Paris which
is the ice cream shop “Grom”
at Rue de Seine. It sells the ice
cream of an Italian Company
which has opened its shops all
over the world.”
Nuclear energy in the
service of the athletics.
Bolt’s show
Usain Bolt sat on the chair
and pressed his huge feet
onto a plastic square in order
to leave an impression in it.
His foot print, cast in molten
metal, will occupy the place
of honour at the entrance to
the “Stade de France”. This
procedure, which happened
at the press conference before
the IAAF “ÅF Golden League”
competition, gave the arrival
of the world superstar even
more importance. All the intrigue
of the competition had
been built around him. Radiating
cheerfulness, Bolt wanted
to thank the hosts of the
competition with a new record
promising that everything was
possible given good weather
and a fast track.
Photo Reuters