Beijing 2015 BID FOR THE 15TH IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Sights from all eras: past and present ............ Page 2 Liu Xiang - Hurdler, champion and national hero ... Page 4 Infrastructure, organisation and standards .... Page 5 Beijing Tourist Hotspots "My Beijing experience..." Media Working conditions CONTENT Report IAAF Evaluation Commission visited Beijing .................................. 1 Beijing Tourist Hotspots Sights from all eras ......................... 2 "My Beijing experience..." Liu Xiang - Hurdler, champion and national hero ............................ 4 Nightlife in Beijing Variety of entertainment options ..... 4 Media Working conditions Infrastructure, organisation and standards .................................. 5 Chinese Sports Culture and History ......................... 6 Good Job Nanning! IAAF World Half Marathon Championships 2010 ....................... 7 IAAF Evaluation Commission visiting Beijing Report on the visit of the CONTACTS IAAF Evaluation Commission The Bidding Team for the 2015 Led by Senior Vice President Member Alberto Juantorena, athletics competitions during IAAF World Championships Sergey Bubka, the evaluation General Secretary Pierre the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and No. 11 Yongdingmen commission of the IAAF con- Weiss, and a team of key staff its warm-up stadium, the hotels Xiannongtan Stadium ducted its two-day assessment members from IAAF HQ and designated to accommodate Building 2, Room 313 of Beijing's bid for the World from marketing partner Dentsu/ athletes, sponsors and officials Xuanwu District, Beijing 100050 Athletics Championships 2015. AMS. During the visit, the as well as the China National Bubka was accompanied by fel- 11-member commission visited Convention Centre, the venue Tel.: +86 (10) 6315 9705 low IAAF Vice President Dah- the National Stadium, bet- proposed for the IAAF Con- Fax: +86 (10) 6305 1036 lan Al-Hamad, IAAF Council ter known as the Bird's Nest, gress. Email: [email protected] and fellow IOC Member Nawal which hosted the opening and The commission also held a El Moutawakel, IAAF Council closing ceremonies and the special meeting with the Beijing issue 2-2010 more >>> 1 Beijing 2015 2015 bid committee and met NEWSFLASH Beijing Mayor Guo Jinglong, who had also been the Execu- tive President of the Organising Siraj wins Beijing Marathon Committee of the Beijing Olym- Gena Siraj has won this year’s 30th pic and Paralympic Games in anniversary edition of the Beijing 2008. The Mayor highlighted International Marathon held on 24th Beijing's determination to host October 2010. The Ethiopian crossed the world's premier athletics the finish line with a time of 2:15:45. event. During the meeting the The fastest woman on the 42.195 IAAF Evaluation commission and Mayor of Beijing, Guo Jinglong Chairman of the IAAF Evalua- kilometres was Jiali Wang from China tion Commission commented, Chinese authorities and there This bid from Beijing is a very with a time of 2:29:31. "The evaluation team has been seems to be a real desire to serious one, with all partners Despite rainy conditions, 30.000 very warmly welcomed and we build on the legacy of the 2008 committed and passionate people had entered the race and have had very fruitful meetings. Games by staging the World about making athletics even joined the anniversary celebrations. We are pleased to see the level Championships in the Bird’s more popular in China.” The runners had not only to fight with of support for this bid from the Nest stadium. the distance but also with the rem- nants of a tropical storm. The crowd included runners from all ages and 11.000 foreign participants from 50 Beijing Tourist Hotspots countries, wishing to compete in one of the world´s big city marathons. Sights from all eras: past and present The Beijing Marathon takes place bidden City awaits you at the in a unique and historic setting. The centre of China’s capital. After race started at 8:00 o’clock local time being built in the early 15th on Tiananmen Square, proceeding century, it was the main impe- through the eastern part of Beijing, rial palace of the Ming and the Olympic Park and the Olympic Qing dynasties until 1912, just Green, passing by the Bird’s Nest about a hundred years ago. and ending in the Olympic Sports The palace complex consists of Center Stadium. 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms in total. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1987 and lists it as the "largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.” The name Forbidden City refers to the fact that people were not freely allowed to enter it in the time of empire. But with the ab- dication of the last emperor, it was opened to the public. The Forbidden City Just south of the Forbidden With a history reaching back when it opened up just months City lies Tiananmen Square, a about 3,000 years and as the before the Olympic Games huge open space surrounded capital of a thriving and mod- 2008. Speaking of the Games: by impressive official buildings. ern country, it is no wonder of course you shouldn’t miss People come here to fly a kite, that Beijing is a city offering seeing the Olympic Green with gather or enjoy the atmosphere a matchless variety of sights landmarks as the Beijing Na- during the day or after nightfall. from all eras, past and present. tional Aquatics Centre ("Wa- The square is also used for Your Beijing sightseeing tour on tercube”), the National Indoor public festivities and announce- modern architecture might start Arena and of course the Beijing ments. The balcony, from already upon arrival. Cover- National Stadium, known as where the announcements are ing an area of nearly a million the "Bird’s Nest”, heart of the delivered, offers the best view square meters and famous for Olympic Games 2008 and key of the square. its unique and elegant design, candidate venue for the IAAF Located further southeast is Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital World Championships 2015. another Beijing landmark, the International Airport, was the Following Beijing’s main axis Temple of Heaven. The Taoist world’s largest airport terminal south from the Green, the For- temple was used by emperors issue 2-2010 more >>> 2 out leads you to Badaling, to the Great Wall of China. The construction of this "largest Beijing 2015 building on earth” started as early as the 5th century BC in order to prevent intrusions by nomadic groups from the of the Ming und Qing dynasties reation and now serves the north. The restored section to pray to Heaven for a good same purpose, but for anyone. of one of the world’s most harvest. It was constructed at Here you can experience the famous sights lets you walk the same time as the Forbidden traditional China as your mind up and down over slopes and City and lists as a UNESCO might picture it. In the centre stairs on wooded hills - so World Heritage Site since 1998. of the vast park-like complex some basic physical fitness is The temple park is also used lies a large lake with a walk- required for the complete wall- for exercising by the public. way around and dragon boats experience. The Summer Palace, another on it. Everywhere in the com- Those are just a few and the famous complex, lies a little plex are architectural high- most known sights Beijing has more remote, but still defi- lights to be found, like bridges to offer. In fact there is a lot nitely worth the short trip of and pagodas guaranteeing more…you are welcome to about an hour from downtown. lots of picturesque views. An- discover and enjoy your very It was used by the emperors other trip of 70 kilometres (43 own Beijing hotspot. as a place for rest and rec- miles) definitely not to be left The Great Wall of China at Badaling Ambassador Liu Xiang The "Yellow Bullet" joins Beijing’s Bid for 2015 marvellous atmosphere during the Games and Chinese enthu- siasm for sports and athletics, I can promise you that Beijing will deliver wonderful IAAF World Championships in 2015, if entrusted with this honour.” Earlier this month, Andreas Thorkildsen, javelin champion form Norway, had announced his support for the bid of the Chinese capital. Liu Xiang, born in 1983 in Shanghai, China, won his first major competition in 2002 at the Asian Games in Busan. Just two years later he went on to win gold at the Olympic Games 2004 in Athens with a world-record time of 12.91s. In 2007 he became world champion at the IAAF World Championships Osaka 2007, making him the first Chinese athlete to wear the "triple crown”: Olympic gold, world champion and world record holder at the same time. Other major wins include gold at the Asian Games 2006 in Doha and gold at the IAAF Chinese national hero Liu Xiang World Indoor Champion- Liu Xiang, 110m hurdler, mul- have a special relationship with expectations and then to be ships 2008 in Valencia. At tiple international champion the Bird’s Nest”, said Liu Xiang personally devastated due to the Olympic Games 2008 in and Chinese national hero has when asked for the reason for a tragic injury but at the same Beijing the hopes of China joined the ranks of supporters his support. "In the very sta- time moved by the compas- rested on him, but he had to for Beijing´s Bid to host the dium I experienced both: how sion of the ten-thousands in withdraw from competition IAAF World Championships it feels to be in the focus of the wonderful stadium in 2008. because of an injury. in 2015: "As you might guess I the crowd’s joyful cheers and Based on that experience, the issue 2-2010 more >>> 3 I had the realistic chance to in Beijing made our feet run have the race of my life and win faster, carried jumpers, javelins, gold in front of my home crowd.