XIAMEN, China – IAAF President Lamine Diack started 2014 with an extensive schedule of activities in the southern Chinese city of Xiamen, home to the Xiamen International Marathon, the first IAAF Gold Label Road Race of 2014.
The first day of the New Year saw President Diack meet with representatives of the Chinese media, giving interviews to five major national newspapers and press agencies, as well as two national TV stations. In the afternoon of 1 January, President Diack met with Mayor Liu Keqing, the leader of the Xiamen local government and other leading Chinese politicians and sports administrators, including the President of the Chinese Athletic Association and IAAF Council Member Zhaocai Du and his long-standing friend and fellow IOC Member Dr Ching-kuo Wu, President of the International Boxing Federation.
The race was started by President Diack, who later presented medals to the winners and also handed awards to the winners of a children’s’ painting competition which had the subject of ‘Marathon –Run for Love’.
President Diack will leave Xiamen on Friday, traveling to Beijing and Tokyo for additional meetings, according to the IAAF.
President Diack also has called on Chinese authorities to improve air quality in their cities, before the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, reports noticiasaominuto.com.
