Daegu to Host World Athletic Championship?

Daegu City is making a final effort to win the right to host the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.

Daegu has made full preparations for an actual inspection of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) starting February 22 and running for four days.

Unfortunately, support at the central government level for attracting the championships is not enough compared to the 2014 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics bid, but Daegu has displayed strong confidence in making its bid for the championships successful with the help of local people.

The committee for inviting the 2011 Daegu World Championships in Athletics (chairperson: Yoo Jong-ha) plans to turn the IAAF inspectors’ visit to Daegu into a good chance to attract the championships.

The committee held a rehearsal to review preparations for the actual inspection at the Inter Burgo Hotel in Daegu on February 15 and had a final rehearsal on February 20.

The rehearsal, attended by Chairperson Yoo Jong-ha, and Kim Beom-il, the mayor of Daegu, proceeded just like the real thing, with a briefing session, a welcoming party, and a showing of pictures of facilities such as stadiums.

The committee plans to give publicity to its better-equipped infrastructure than other rival cities’ and the local people’s enthusiasm about attracting the championships.

Signature books where 700,000 local people promised to come to watch the games and a protocol on helping to attract the championships made by four cities and provinces such as North Gyeongsang Province, Busan, South Gyeongsang Province and Ulsan are scheduled to be conveyed to the inspectors.

The mayors and governors of Gyeongsang promised in the protocol that if Daegu is confirmed as the site of the championships, they would try to watch games with 13.2 million local people in the region.

Hong Seung-hwal, one of the leading members of the committee, said, “We will intensively highlight our advanced level of IT which could decide the success of the championships, as well as the excellent equipment of our stadiums and subsidiary facilities, such as apartment village for athletics which can accommodate 3,500 people, our media village, and EXCO, when the inspectors arrive.”

In preparation for the IAAF inspectors’ visit, 7,000 banners and 500 placards have been set up along roads and overhead bridges in Daegu’s downtown. Inspection sites such as Daegu World Cup Stadium and Daegu EXCO will be filled with a festival atmosphere with big advertising balloons and sculptures installed on February 21.

During the inspecting period, various events such as a 2011m relay, track and field games for youth, and folk games will be held in Daegu World Cup Stadium’s auxiliary stadium.

Mayor Kim Beom-il said, “I hope that there will be more support and interest in encouraging companies to help attract the championships at the level of the government. I believe that good results will come out because more and more local companies are working to attract the championships and local people’s sympathy is expanding.”

cavatina@donga.com