MONACO- Monte-Carlo – IAAF Council, meeting today, agreed to make the IAAF Grand Prix Final a two day event from 2003 and also agreed that the competition should be hosted by Monaco for three consecutive years, to ensure the event has a stronger sense of identity, and to allow the possibility of hosting the World Athletics Gala on the same weekend in early September to further promote the sport. Monaco was selected, following a vote, in a direct contest with the German city of Stuttgart, because the third candidate, Madrid, withdrew.
Council heard progress reports from the organisers of IAAF events in 2002, specifically the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin, the World Half Marathon Championships in Brussels and the Coca-Cola World Junior
Championships in Kingston.
In the afternoon, Council considered the reports of the Competition and the Anti-Doping Commissions.
It was agreed that qualifying rounds would be reintroduced for the field events at future editions of the World Indoor Championships, and that a World Indoor Combined Events Championships would be introduced at one of the existing major Indoor Combined Events meetings.
Council also agreed to reduce the IAAF Golden League to five meetings starting in 2003.
During the report of the Anti-Doping Commission it was announced that 2830 tests had been conducted on behalf of the IAAF in 2001 (as at 1 November), with 1742 tests out of competition. Athletics continues to be the sport that
conducts the most tests.
Following a lengthy investigation, it was revealed that the Russian Federation had recently decided to impose a 2-year suspension on German Skurygin, who had tested positive for hCG after winning the 50km gold at the 1999 World Championships in Seville. The original excuse of the athlete – that he had been seriously ill at the time of the test – had not been accepted by the IAAF. The official results for this event will be amended and the world champion title will go to former silver medallist Ivano
Brugnetti (ITA).
Council also decided that Stanislavs Olijars (LAT) could not be considered guilty of a doping offence for a test conducted on 31 May 2001, because the sample had been taken by an agency that is not recognised under IAAF rules.
The next meeting of the IAAF Council will take place in Nairobi on 13-14 April 2002.
For more details contact:
Giorgio Reineri
IAAF Director of Media and Public Relations
tel: +377 93 10 88 88
fax: +377 93 15 95 15
georgio@iaaf.org