+++ PRESS RELEASE for the 2019 +++

Experience world-class athletics at the Philipp Schätzle Telephone: 0721 782045-260 INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe Email: [email protected] Karlsruhe is the second stop of the World Indoor Tour / Advance ticket sales start next Friday / Audience capacity increased Karlsruhe, October 9, 2018

The 35th INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe is only 116 days away. In 2019, Karlsruhe can once again look forward to world-class athletics – as part of the international indoor athletics series IAAF World Indoor Tour. Just like last year, in addition to Karlsruhe, the Meetings in Boston, USA (January 26), Torun, Poland (February 6), Madrid, Spain (February 8), Birmingham, Great Britain (February 16), and Düsseldorf (February 20) will form part of the 2019 World Indoor Tour. At the six Meetings, the stars of the athletics scene will battle for points in their discipline. Due to the high level of interest in the past years, the organizers, Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH, have increased the number of available tickets from 4,500 to 5,000. Last year, the Meeting was sold out weeks in advance.

In addition to the prize money of US$20,000, Tour winners secure a wild card in their respective discipline for the 2020 Indoor World Championships in Nanjing, China. Furthermore, a new IAAF world ranking system, which will come into effect on January 1, 2019, will give the indoor Meetings added value. Similar to tennis, every athlete earns points for their performance at the Meetings, regardless of event’s significance. Previously, the national associations had decided which athletes could participate at a major event based on certain nomination guidelines. An athlete’s best season performance was usually the decisive factor. “With the new world ranking system, we can look forward to even better competitions – including at the INDOOR MEETING in Karlsruhe,” says Sports Director Alain Blondel, who witnessed last week’s decision in person at an IAAF meeting in Nice.

As part of the 2019 IAAF World Indoor Tour, Karlsruhe’s athletics audience can look forward to seeing the women compete in the 60 meters, 3,000 meters, and . Additionally, the competition is returning to Karlsruhe after 13 years – as part of the Tour and in the trade fair hall for the first time. Another discipline will be the 60-meter hurdles.

The men will be competing in the 400 meters, 1,500 meters, long and , as well as 800 meters as part of the World Indoor Tour. Visitors of the 2019 INDOOR MEETING can therefore get excited about disciplines in which the German athletics elite snagged multiple metals at the European Philipp Schätzle Championships in Berlin in August. Telephone: 0721 782045-260 Email: [email protected]

Fans can experience athletics up close as early as next weekend, October 13 Karlsruhe, October 9, 2018 and 14, at the Karlsruhe City Festival. With Christoph Kessler (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.) and Jannik Aborgast (Sunday, 4:00 p.m.), two athletes from the club LG Region Karlsruhe will be on stage at the Marktplatz for interviews and to give autographs. Kessler and Arbogast are two of the region’s prominent athletics figures. In September, Arbogast secured the title of German Champion over 10 km at the German Road Running Championships in Bremen. Kessler came in second place in the 800-meter race at the German Championships in Nuremberg in July. And both of them also participated in the last edition of the INDOOR MEETING. Despite competing against renowned athletes, such as Andrew Osagie, Marcin Lewandowski, and Erik Sowinski, Kessler won a silver medal, while Arbogast took to the track as a pacemaker in the 3,000 meters.

Advance ticket sales for the 35th INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe on February 2, 2019, start next Friday, October 12. Tickets in all categories will be available at the Tourist-Information Karlsruhe, Bahnhofplatz 6, 76137 Karlsruhe, through the ticket hotline at 0721 25000 and online at www.ticketmaster.de.

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2019 IAAF World Indoor Tour locations: January 26, 2019: New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (Boston, USA) February 2, 2019: INDOOR MEETING (Karlsruhe, GER) February 6, 2019: (Torun, POL) February 8, 2019: Madrid Indoor Meeting (Madrid, ESP) February 16, 2019: Müller Indoor Grand Prix (Birmingham, GBR) February 20, 2019: 13th International PSD Bank Meeting (Düsseldorf, GER)