Monte-Carlo - The morning of the third and final day of the IAAF Council meeting in Monaco (9 - 11) saw the host cities decided for four competitions of the IAAF World Athletics Series which will be staged in 2014.

Prior to the vote of championship host, all candidate cities made final presentations before answering questions from Council.

The hosts will be (in order of announcement):

IAAF World Half Marathon Championships 2014 – Copenhagen (DEN) - date tbc

There were two candidates, Denmark, Copenhagen and Russia, Cheboksary.

Pia Allerslev, Mayor of Sport and Culture in Copenhagen:

“This is wonderful. We love to host events like this and hosting the half marathon is a great honour and we look forward to bringing all the professional athletes to Copenhagen but also brining all the Copenhageners to the running course.”

“Hopefully we will show once again that Copenhagen is an open and wonderfully safe city to be walk, run and bike in and generally to be in. These championships will give the Copenhageners a great sporting experience.”

Lars Vermund, President DAF: “The day before the race we will create a massive event for school kids bringing them into Copenhagen to meet the top athletes and some celebrities and get them engaged in the sport, so they can get focused on the great things you can achieve by running.”

IAAF Continental Cup 2014 – Marrakech (MAR), 13/14 September 2014

The city of Marrakech (replacing Rabat) was the only candidate.

Nawal El Moutawakel, IAAF Council Member and part of the bidding team presenting to Council:

“We are very happy to host another great IAAF event after the 1998 World Cross Country Championships and the 2005 World Youth Championships, and we have proved that we have the capacity to organise such an important event, we have the know-how, the expertise, and we have the facilities, a beautiful stadium, beautiful accommodation. I know we will have a successful event.”

“We look forward to welcoming the athletes and officials and the whole IAAF athletics family. This event is really important for our country, our youth and our athletes. It is an important event for Africa as a continent and Morocco as the host, and a stepping stone for us as it will prepare us to be open to hold other major events. We have the will and determination and the infrastructure is there.

We are inaugurating major stadiums now on a yearly basis not just in Marrakesh but also in Tangier, Agadir, Casablanca, which all have athletics tracks something which I insisted on when I was in government.”

IAAF World Junior Championships 2014 – Eugene (USA) - date tbc

The city of Eugene (Oregon) was the only candidate after the Bahamas withdrew due to lack of funding, and Russia, Kazan did not confirm its ‘Letter of Intent’.

Bob Hersh, Senior IAAF Vice President and part of the bidding team presenting to Council:

“It’s a very proud and exciting moment that after so many years of being in the position to host the world’s athletes in a major world athletics series event. There are challenges ahead but I know that the people of Eugene and our national federation are going to meet those challenges and do everything to make this a very successful event.”

“Because it’s in Eugene in ‘TrackTown USA’, because of where it is, in that special environment, in that stadium, and that site, we know it will be a success.”

Stephanie Hightower, President of USATF: “This will be an opportunity for us to reposition the calibre of the sport in the USA and that will have an effect on a global level, so we think it is exciting to come back (last time USA were hosts of an IAAF World Athletics Series event was the 1992 World Cross Country Championships in Boston). It will definitely reposition track and field in a way we really want to long term, and we hope that from the networks, the TV and with the marketing it will raise the sport of track and field to a different level in the USA. So we are really excited.”

IAAF World Indoor Championships 2014 – Sopot (POL)** - date tbc

The Polish city of Sopot (Gdansk) was the only one candidate with Zagreb, Croatia having withdrawn due to lack of funding.

Irena Szewinska, IAAF Council Member and part of the bidding team presenting to Council:

“We are very proud and happy and we can ensure the world that we will do our very best to organise the championships on a very high level. The arena is very beautiful indoor hall and is only one year old and the track will be raised and a new Mondo surface will be installed to provide top conditions. We also have high level facilities for training and warm-up.”

“The present generation of Polish athletes is very good and we look forward to them competing on the world stage in their own land and these championships will be very exciting and a proud moment for us.”

NB **subject to budgetary guarantees

IAAF