Berlin ready to embrace the athletics worlds

Berlin - Berlin is ready to rock again as the German capital hosts another major sports event from Saturday onwards, the world athletics championships. The frenzy may not be quite as big as at the 2006 football World Cup, when Berlin hosted several games including the final, but officials have made plenty of efforts to bring athletics with its stars like Usain Bolt or Ariane Friedrich to the people. The vast majority of the 47 events will be held in the iconic Olympic Stadium where Jesse Owens famously won four gold medals at the politically charged 1936 Olympics. But the walks and the marathons will take place downtown against the backdrop of the Brandenburg Gate, with big crowds expected. Also situated there is the so-called KulturStadion, a big meeting place for fans with concerts planned and famous former athletes like Maurice Greene or Michael Johnson to visit. 'I am convinced that the Berlin people will be very good hosts like at the football World Cup. Athletes and visitors from around the world will experience an unforgettable time here,' Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit told German Press Agency dpa. Berlin will be measured by the party atmosphere of the World Cup and that from the first athletics worlds in Germany, 1993 in Stuttgart. Wowereit's senate has provided some 20 million euros for the overall championship budget of 44 million euros, with the rest to be balanced by sponsor income and ticket sales. More than 300,000 of the 500,000 tickets have been sold, and everyone is convinced that the so far indifferent mood of the locals will change dramatically once the competition gets underway. Success from the ailing German team led by the high jump contender Ariane Friedrich would further boost the atmosphere. 'World championships in the home country, that's fun. That will give the (German) athletes a boost,' said the 1991 double sprint world champion Katrin Krabbe-Zimmermann. The 1996 shot put Olympic champion Astrid Kumbernuss said that the future of German athletics is at stake at the August 15-23 worlds. 'These worlds can turn the tide with a great atmosphere and good results. The fans must enjoy going to the stadium again for two or three hours and to see a great athletics show,' said Kumbernuss. After all, Friedrich, the Jamaican sprint star Bolt and the other athletes will be measured by Berlin's long history of athletics greatness, highlighted by the four golds from Owens who remains an icon in Berlin. In 1977, East German Rosemarie Ackermann came to the western part of the then divided city to clear the magic 2-metre barrier in the women's high jump for the first time. Those who came to the Jahnstadium in East Berlin in 1984 saw the amazing javelin thrown from Uwe Hohn to 104.80m which prompted athletics officials to change the design of the javelin because the throw was simply too long for regular stadiums. The latest hero is marathon star Haile Gebrselassie, who has bettered the world record over the classic 42.195km distance in 2007 and 2008 in the traditional Berlin city marathon.