IAAF
President’s Speech Grand Prix Final - Paris
13 September 2002 - It is a great pleasure for
me to be with you here in Paris on the occasion of the 18th – and last ever –
edition of the IAAF Grand Prix Final.
First of all, I should admit how delighted I was
to see, at the European Championships in Munich, French athletes back on top
with seven medals, four of them gold. Dare I say it, but, because of this
country’s rich tradition, when France is strong, World Athletics also benefits.
But I am also pleased about the timing of this
mini-renaissance, since it will help us greatly when it comes to promoting the
next World Championships next year in Paris-St Denis.
At this point I should also add that, while some
European capitals struggle to find a single worthy venue for our sport, Paris
can boast of two! Although I am confident that the Stade de France will be a
magnificent setting for our Premier event next year, I should point out that the
Stade Charlety is also superb – and has the added advantage that it was actually
designed for athletics. I remember that the Stadium was just finished in time
for the 1994 edition of the Grand Prix Final and I am delighted to go back there.
The 2002 Grand Prix Final is the climax of a
circuit that started on 7 March in Melbourne. Since then, the world’s best
athletes have criss-crossed the world to take advantage of the excellent
competitive and commercial opportunities that the IAAF Grand Prix offers. This
year, with no senior World Championships on the track, it is no surprise that
our athletes took full advantage of the 27 different meetings which made up the
IAAF Grand Prix Circuit to record a number of special performances.
In the 2002 IAAF Grand Prix, 14 Area Records
were set (8 men and 6 women) and 58 National Records (33 Women and 25 Men).
To qualify for this Final, athletes have been
scoring Grand Prix points throughout the season, with the top 8 (top 10 in
distance events) after the last event in Rieti last Sunday, qualifying to
compete here. This makes sure that those who are part of the show in Paris have
earned the right to be eligible for total prize money of US$2,456,000.
In the Final, all individual events start from
zero – with each Grand Prix Champion actually being decided tomorrow. The
Overall Grand Prix Competition, on the other hand, depends on the accumulated
Grand Prix points. Two athletes share the lead in the Men’s Contest – Morocco’s
HICHAM El GUERROUJ and FELIX SANCHEZ of the Dominican Republic – who I am sure
will have to be at his very best to beat the European Champion Stephane Diagana.
If El Guerrouj and Sanchez both win tomorrow, then it will be the athlete who
has the best performance according to our Scoring Tables, who will be selected
as the winner. As you know, of course, Felix Sanchez is also trying to win both
the 400m and 400m Hurdles events, something that will help him win a place in
the history books.
The Women’s Favourite is MARION JONES, who will
also face a top French athlete here in Paris, Muriel Hurtis, in the 100m.
This edition of the Grand Prix Final is a
historical one because it marks the end of an era. From 2003, a new competition
with all individual athletics events will take place over 2 days and will be
known as the WORLD ATHLETICS FINAL. To make the change complete, the athletes
will no longer earn Grand Prix points to qualify, but will qualify based on
their positions in the IAAF World Rankings. By doing this – athletes will
benefit from performances at 1 day meetings, but also at Championship events,
including National Championships, Area Championships, World Championships,
Olympic Games and so on … This means that the WORLD ATHLETICS FINAL will provide
the competition climax for the athletics season on an annual basis.
Another benefit of the new system will be that
ALL athletics events will take place EVERY year. At present, half of our events
take place on even years and the other half on odd years, something that was
done because you can’t fit everything into a 1 day meeting. But starting next
year – all the events can stay in the spotlight.
Lamine Diack
IAAF President
