Organizers report good preparation to IAAF officials

(Daegu Athletics) DAEGU, Aug. 22 (Yonhap) -- Local organizers of the upcoming World Championships in Athletics on Monday boasted of "nearly perfect" preparations for the event before international athletics officials. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) convened a meeting of its executive committee here, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, ahead of the Aug. 27-Sept. 4 world championships. Lamine Diack, president of the IAAF, and Cho Hae-nyoung, a co-president of Daegu's organizing committee, were among the officials gathered to discuss the state of the athletics. Before the meeting, Cho said Daegu, the first-time host, was ready to stage the event. "We're almost perfectly ready," Cho said. "The one thing left for us to do is to fill the Daegu Stadium. We have sold 94 percent of our tickets, the highest rate in the history of the world championships, and we're confident of having a full house." Park Jung-ki, a South Korean executive member of the IAAF, said fellow IAAF officials were also effusive about Daegu's preparations. "They're especially satisfied with the athletes' village, and the fact that athletes can walk to their training facilities from there," Park said. "This year's championships have done away with some conventional scheduling and have put the finals for several events next to each other. It should make things compelling for the audience."