The Athletissima meeting is one of the most beautiful, competitive and iconic events in Europe. For several years, I would spend a week or so in Lausanne, walking on the trails, enjoying the cool evening weather and the amazing energy that runs through the Swiss crowd and the global athletes who perform in front of them.
The Swiss government is giving events over 10,000 the go ahead, so the folks in Lausanne are quite enthusiastic. I hope to see many of the athletes in the Movenpick Hotel.
Dream on!
Mondo Duplantis, Lausanne 2020, photo by Diamond League AG
Athletissima is preparing for a full house. Athletissima welcomed the Swiss Federal Council‘s decision to allow outdoor sporting events to fill up with spectators as of the 20th of August. The next edition of the Lausanne meeting of the Wanda Diamond League will, as a result, be able to take place in a fully packed stadium on the 26thof August.This will allow Athletissima’s ticketing to operate as usual. Ticket sales with Ticketcorner will open on Tuesday, 15th of June (if the event should be canceled due to a resurgence of the pandemic, tickets will be refunded).
The news is both a challenge and relief for the organizers, noted the meeting director,Jacky Delapierre. The Lausannemeeting will be the first major athletics event in Europe after the Tokyo Olympics. A guaranteed quality competition, as the Wanda Diamond League final in Zurich approaches, as well as an opportunity for the athletes not selected for the Games to prove a point.
“The decision of the Swiss Federal Council was notably facilitated by the constant commitment of the Vaudois and Valaisian State Councils“, congratulated the organizers of Athletissima. This will be the first large–scale sporting event with a large audience to be held in a stadium in Switzerland since the restrictions imposed by Covid–19.
Wednesday’s decision marked more relaxed restrictions since the announcement2 weeks ago, which initially called for sporting events with 10‘000 or more people only as of early September. All tickets sold will be seated and numbered. The stadium will be able to fill up to its capacity. The City Event organized the day before the meeting, with a men’s high jump competition in the city center, will be free for the public and accessible under specific conditions which have yet to be determined.
Athletissima/Media Service
Link to Athletissima press release: Press Release 03 – 26 May 2021 – EN.pdf
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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by Larry Eder
