JAIME LISSAVETZKY
State Secretary for Sport
As Spain’s Minister of the Sports I’m delighted to address these words to all the people who will enable the World Indoor Championships in Valencia 2008 to be celebrated.
Once again Spain, and more precisely the city of Valencia gets ready to host an event of the highest calibre in which the most prominent athletes from all over the world will gather. I’m convinced that these championships will be very enjoyable for the numerous Spanish athletics fans.
Held on a year in which the Olympic Games to be held in Beijing will attract main attention, these Championships will serve to assess our athletes’ Olympic hopes. The fine results achieved over the last years let us to face up to the last phase of preparations enthusiastically, with moderate optimism and fully conscious that the final success will depend on our hard work and sacrifice.
To conclude, I am very grateful to all the people and institutions which have worked and still keep on working in order to these World Championships are a complete success in terms of organization. I encourage the athletics fans to be part of this impressive spectacle which will prove again the ability of our country to host international events.
In closing, I offer, on behalf of the Spanish sport, our warmest welcome to all the athletes taking part at this competition and I wish that all the disciplines develop with the highest sportsmanship.
FRANCISCO CAMPS ORTIZ
President of the Generalitat Valenciana
The international prestige that the city of Valencia is gaining is due to, among other things, a highly proactive promotional policy of capitalising on the numerous openings that the city has to offer.
Valencia is blessed with a rich history full of significant importance which recounts its magnificent past, and has continually been one of the most important historical centres in Europe. The city in recent years has moved even further ahead with the times to place itself as a leading vanguard of the modern age.
Millions of visitors from all over the world are discovering the new Valencia, symbolized by the architectural and cultural marvels such as the Music Palace (Palau de la Música), the IVAM or the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias).
With the launch of this new Valencia, which confidently faces a future full of possibilities, internationally renowned events have also put the city in the spotlight of the world media.
Undoubtedly, sporting events have been at the forefront of this new age. For many years the Ricardo Tormo Motor circuit in Cheste has been a landmark in the motor world and its motorbike Grand Prix has been recognised year after year as the best on the World Circuit, with new events having recently been added to the sporting calendar.
With Valencia hosting the America’s Cup 2007, the preliminary competitions have placed our city as the international capital of the yachting world, in expectation of the final challenge of the trophy this year, which will be an unprecedented success and which will be followed by millions of viewers all over the planet.
Our city will also host the XII World Indoor Athletics Champions-hips in 2008, which will be another milestone to add to all the other top sporting events. Our internationally recognised and proven or-ganisational ability will make this championship, organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (I.A.A.F), a huge sporting success and a new promotional dimension for our city, from which Valencia will consolidate itself further with the praise and prestige it rightfully deserves.
In this first Championship Bulletin I would like to take the opportunity to welcome the world of athletics, and also with a special thanks to the Spanish athletes and local athletes from Valencia, and I wish all those taking part a successful competition held in a healthy, competitive, sporting atmosphere.
ALFONSO RUS TEROL
President Provincial Council of Valencia
The capital of the Turia is host to major international sporting events, with 2007 having been the year of yachting and 2008 being the year when athletics will play a crucial role in the city.
Hosting the XII World Indoor Athletics Championship in March reinforces Valencia's standing as a leader in holding sporting events. Hosting events on this scale is a socio-economic indicator of the province and of how successfully it is governed.
The Provincial Council of Valencia, which continuously encourages the values that sport embraces, fully supports this World Championship which will unite 1.200 athletes from more than 100 countries, and whose impact will place Valencia amongst the most prestigious European cities.
From the Council that I preside over, I would like to pass on my heartfelt congratulations to all the competitors whose lives are dedicated to the sport and who train day in and day out to be amongst the best in their discipline and to be triumphant for their respective countries.
Being from Valencia I cannot help but wish that our athletes from Valencia Terra i Mar achieve great results. I also wish the Championship the success that it deserves and I take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to all the athletes and their families who will share with us what will be a tough and healthy competition in the days ahead.
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