Rome welcomes 60 countries and 432 athletes

05 Maggio 2016

432 athletes from 60 countries. 60 members of the Organizing Committee, 141 volunteers, 114 race judges and 150 media representatives. There are also 30000 water bottles, 5 km of barriers and 10 hours of live television coverage. The organisational structure is complex and nuanced and Rome wanted to live up to the challenge. A team formed by the IAAF, FIDAL, the Municipality of Rome and the Regional Committe FIDAL Lazio is committed in the organization of the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships.

They have worked closely together since 7th January, when the IAAF Council assigned the World Race Walking Team Championships to Rome after the ban of the Russian Federation (this event was due to take place in Cheboksary). The short period of 4 months was a big obstacle on the road to the world championships, which will take place in Italy for the fourth time in history. No country has staged more editions of the former Lugano Trophy (the old name of this event until 1983). The last time Italy staged these Championships dates back to 2002, when it was held in Turin, after Varese (1963) and Pescara (1965). Italy is the only country that took part in all previous 26 editions.

The official programme features 5 competitions over 3 distances: junior 10 km races and senior 20 km and 50 km races. No less than 265 men and 167 women will take part in this event. The race with the most entries is the 20 km men’s senior race with 133 walkers from 49 countries, followed by the women’s 20 km with 114 walkers from 38 countries. There are 72 male or female entrants from 32 countries in the 50 km (Rome will mark the first time in history that a woman walker will be eligible to take part over the longest distance of the olympic athletics programme). The junior races will feature 61 male athletes from 32 countries and 52 female athletes from 26 countries. The 432 athletes will arrive to Italy with their teams, that are formed by coaches, doctors, physiotherapists, officials and team attachés. There will be a total of 246 officials, which brings the total of team members to 678. There will be 5 team titles at stake, but athletes will fight for 15 individual titles. They are not world titles, but are the most sought-after and prestigious achievements in the world of “toe and heel” event. The regular development of the competitions is guaranteed by a panel of 19 international Technical Officials, who will be helped by 95 National Technical Officials.

Such a global sports event grabs the attention of press representatives from all over the world. A media centre with 50 work desks equipped with an internet connection, the distribution of statistics, live results and screens to follow the live coverage, was set up in the Stadium at the Bath of Caracalla to guarantee the best working conditions to 150 journalists. There will be 30 working desks in the press tribune and a sub media centre located inside the Sheraton Hotel Parco de Medici. A mixed zone is located after the finish-line on a 200 mq surface and a big area has been set up for the big TV compounds outside the stadium.

They are big-event figures: besides tens of Italian and foreign TV operators and commentators, there are 21 photographers, 52 written press and online journalists but also 8 press attachés following their teams (from the United States, Spain, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Finland and Korea). The Eurovision production for the IAAF will show every single moment of the world event with 15 cameras; the RAI Italian Television will broadcast the event with 10 hours of live coverage.

The set-up is imposing. The beating heart is the Nando Martellini Stadium, where there will be 25 team tents (where athletes will change clothes and receive physiotherapic assistance), 50 square metres call room and 2 prefabricated boxes of 35 square metres hosting the offices of Omega and Delta3, each located near the finish-line. There will be a hospiatlity area of 120 square metres, 2 store areas for the technical partners of 120 square metres, 2 power units. The Baths of Caracalla beat at world rhythm for the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships.

The fascinating course winds up at the foot of the Colosseum between the Arch of Constantine and the Baths of Caracalla. It will be closed to traffic and marked by 5 km of barriers, 4 km of banners and 6 km of tape. It should be underlined that the Municipality of Rome has carried out road paving interventions with the contribution of the SIMU (Department for the Development of Infrastructures and Urban Maintenance of Rome), including the removal of some traffic islands. The whole area will be set up to host the big crowd expected along the course and inside the stadium. On Saturday 7th May a gun shot will mark the start of the women’s junior 10 km race, the first race of the World Race Walking Team Championships, at 9.30. The start of the 50 km race, the last race of the programme is scheduled at 9.00 on Sunday 8th May. The race against time to dismantle the set-up will start on Sunday evening and during the night. On Monday morning Rome will return to normality with a bit of nostalgia.

The programme – The programme features five competitions. Each race will determine the team ranking: the two 10 km junior walking races and the two 20 km races will be held on Saturday 7th May, the 50 km walking race will take place on Sunday 8th May.

Saturday 7th May               9.30  women’s 10 km junior race

                                               10.35 men’s 10 km junior race

                                               16.00 Opening ceremony

                                               16.30 men’s 20 km senior race

                                               18.15 women’s 20 km senior race

 

Sunday 8th May                  9.00 50 km

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