World Athletics Championships Commence in Osaka

Korea’s sporting prowess is undeniable – ranking forth at the 1988 Olympic Games; winning the miracle 2002 FIFA World Cup semifinal; and reaching the semifinals of the 2006 World Baseball Classic, to name just a few. Not only in individual sports like soccer and baseball, but also in combined sports like the Olympic Games, Korea has wielded its power to the world. Since 1988, at every Olympic Games except the 2002 Sydney Olympics (12th place), Korea has joined the ranks of top 10 countries. Indeed, Korea has won several gold medals in the Olympic marathon, but the country has thus far seen few remarkable accomplishments in athletics. Poor performance in athletics is the main reason behind Korean public’s lukewarm response to the World Championships.

Today, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Athletics Championships stand out as one of the top three sporting events in the world, alongside the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. Over a period of nine days, a total of 1,981 athletes from 203 countries will take part in the Championships, competing for 47 gold medals across as many disciplines (Male 24, Female 23). The only differences being the men had the extra event of the 50 km walk. The IAAF forecasted that a total of six billion sports lovers would watch the events. The IAAF is comprised of 212 member countries, more than that of the UN (192). All the 212 member countries will participate in the general session that will be held days before the event.

The IAAF World Championships in Athletics began in 1983 in Helsinki and took place as a quadrennial event. The event has been held every two years since the games in 1991 in Japan. The Korean Association of Athletics Federations dispatched sporting teams to each event from the very first World Championships.

In the second IAAF World Championships held in Rome in 1987, Ben Johnson (Canada) and Carl Lewis (US) set up a fierce rivalry for world supremacy in the 100m Men’s final. With Johnson topping the ranking, the Games also ranked as a global sporting event. The Championships obtained 18 new records in ten games.

Osaka was selected as the host city of the 2007 World Athletics Championships in November 2002. This successful bid brings Japan a worldwide reputation as a sports powerhouse as it hosts the top world sports event for the second time in 16 years since Tokyo was selected as the venue for the 1991 IAAF World Championships in Athletics.

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