LAMINE DIACK
IAAF President
As I write this message at the start of the 2007 indoor season we are of course little more than a year away from the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships, Valencia, Spain, 7 – 9 March 2008.
Spain is a regular and well trusted host of major IAAF competitions. The climax to the 2008 indoor season in Valencia will be the eleventh occasion on which the Royal Athletics Federation of Spain has organized an IAAF World Athletics Series (WAS) event, so we can rest assured that the 2008 championships are in safe hands.
Seville and Barcelona are the only previous Spa-nish city to have specificaly held the World Indoor Championships ( in 1991 and 1995 respectively, though Spain has organized five editions of the continental indoor championships with Valencia the venue for the 1998 edition.
Founded in 137BC, Valencia which with a present day population of over 800,000 is Spain’s third biggest city, also has previous WAS experience, its streets in 1981 acting as the stage for the IAAF World Race Walking Cup.
The home port for this year’s edition of the world famous America’s Cup and with a successful football team which won the Spanish League and UEFA Cup in 2004, Valencia is very much a sports’ city. Therefore we can confidently expect that the 12th IAAF World Indoor Championships will be an athletics fiesta for our sport to savour.
RITA BARBERÁ NOLLA
Mayoress - Municipality of Valencia
The World Indoor Championships to be celebrated in Valencia next year fits into Valencia’s council Government’s team firm bet to strengthen sport in our city at every level and every discipline. In addition, the event will help to spread the city of Valencia on an international scale.
Sport, both as individual and social activity stron-gly introduced in our society possesses two different but complementary aspects, sport as physical practice and sports spectacle.
Our duty at the head of Valencia’s council leads us to encourage citizens to do any kind of sport they are keen on without neglecting the necessary facet of hosting major events which enable Valencia’s citizens to witness and enjoy such spectacle.
We have the honour to host the 32nd edition of the America’s Cup in this year 2007 and also look forward to organising the World Indoor Championships in 2008, what is a pride for our city. Both events are a challenge as well as a consolidation for Valencia as hostess of major events either at a national or international level.
From this opening newsletter of the 12nd World indoor championships I would like to send an enthusiastic greeting to all athletics fans worldwide, athletes taking part in the championships, executives, judges as well as media. Valencia gives all of them its warmest welcome and our best wishes of fraternity, friendship and sportsmanship.
JOSÉ MARÍA ODRIOZOLA
President of the Royal Athletic Spanish Federation
In March 2008, we will have the pleasure to host in Valencia the World Indoor Championships. This great competition, where most of the best athletes of the World compete according to a timetable adapted to fit in with the facility, will offer us a fantastic show and excited feelings.
In the previous editions, Spanish athletes have usually been successful and we hope that on this occasion, counting on the strength of our enthusiastic supporters, they can offer us unforgettable performances.
From an organising point of view, the fantastic venue “Luis Puig”, together with the use of some areas of the Trade Fair, will be an excellent setting to reach the success of the Championships. The City of Valencia will provide the other infrastructure needed to offer a warmest welcome to our athletes and their accompanying persons. This is a city which has been highly modernized and beautified during the last years until becoming an important tourist attraction.
For all these reasons and the largest experience that my Federation has in the organisation of major international events, I am fully convinced that we all will be very satisfied with the celebration of the World Indoor Championships 2008 in Valencia.
I look forward to seeing you there. until then, my very best wishes to you all.
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