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World Championships Organising Committee Presents 17 German “Faces of the World Championships”

Lufthansa becomes third National Partner | The slogan of the World Championships is “Have a good time!”

New European Champion Sebastian Bayer (Long Jump) was presented as one of the 17 German "Faces of the World Championships"
©City-Press

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The Berlin Organising Committee for the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics berlin 2009™ presented the German “Faces of the World Championships” at a reception in the Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus) Berlin, hosted by the Governing Mayor of Berlin and President of the World Championships Organising Committee, Klaus Wowereit. In the upcoming months leading up to berlin 2009™, these top German athletes will be helping to further increase enthusiasm for the worldwide largest sports event of the year.

Together with Dr. Clemens Prokop, the Executive President of the World Championships Organising Committee as well as President of the German Athletics Association (DLV), Wowereit also presented the German airline Lufthansa as the third National Partner and unveiled a banner at a prominent position outside the Town Hall.

The Governing Mayor of Berlin and the president of the World Championships Organising Committee, Klaus Wowereit announced the commitment of Lufthansa as a new National Partner at the beginning of the reception: “Lufthansa is active internationally and is a figurehead for Germany. With this strong brand, we are delighted to have gained an additional top partner for the World Championships.”

Klaus Walther, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications, Lufthansa, expressed the importance of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics berlin 2009™ for one of the most well-known German companies: “As the airline for sports, Lufthansa is looking forward to this unique major sporting event. As a long-time partner of the German Athletics Association (DLV), we have felt a connection with athletics for many years, and we are looking forward to experiencing the World Championships in our home country.”

The Executive President of the World Championships Organising Committee and President of the German Athletics Association (DLV), Dr. Clemens Prokop, added: “With its excellent track record, Lufthansa will not only support us financially, but will also ensure the smooth transportion of the majority of the athletes and officials to the World Championships in Berlin.”

Following the presentation of Lufthansa as National Partner, Klaus Wowereit and Dr. Clemens Prokop presented Klaus Walther with a baton to symbolise the start of the partnership with berlin 2009TM. In return, the Lufthansa manager gave the two highest representatives of the World Organising Committee a Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 model named “Berlin”.

17 German athletes, led by the freshly-crowned gold medal winners from the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Turin/Italy, Sebastian Bayer and Petra Lammert, were then officially presented as the German “Faces of the World Championships” by commentator Ralf Scholt.

The Faces of the World Championships are:

Sebastian Bayer (Long Jump),

Danny Ecker (Pole Vault),

Ariane Friedrich (High Jump),

Robert Harting (Discus),

Betty Heidler (Hammer Throw),

Raphael Holzdeppe (Pole Vault),

Bianca Kappler (Long Jump),

Petra Lammert (Shot Put),

Irina Mikitenko (Marathon),

Steffi Nerius (Javelin),

André Niklaus (Decathlon),

Christina Obergföll (Javelin),

Robin Schembera (800m),

Sina Schielke (Sprinter),

Lilli Schwarzkopf (Heptathlon),

Raúl Spank (High Jump),

Silke Spiegelburg (Pole Vault)

The Faces of the World Championships will be integrated into the communications activities leading up to the World Championships, helping to further increase enthusiasm for berlin 2009™.

Sebastian Bayer, who come within 8 cm of the world record set by Carl Lewis in 1984 as he became the new European Champion in the long jump with a sensational 8.71 metres in Turin, improving the European record by 15 cm, is looking forward to the World Championships in Berlin: “I think it is superb to have the World Championships in my own country, because I want to show my best perfomances in an Olympic Stadium filled with fabulous fans and show the world how amazing long jump is.”

Dr. Clemens Prokop stated: “With the Faces of the World Championships, we have a good mix of young aspiring athletes and experienced athletes. The younger generation of athletes has recently demonstrated excellent performances and is thus ringing in a new and euphoric spirit of optimism in German athletics.”

Prior to the reception in the Red Town Hall, together with top athletes Robert Harting, Christina Obergföll and Sina Schielke as well as the World Championships mascot, Klaus Wowereit and Dr. Clemens Prokop unveiled a banner created by the company Berlin Partner. Depicting the World Championships mascot, the banner will hang over the main entrance until the start of the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics to promote the world’s largest sports event of the year.

For the first time, the slogan of berlin 2009™ was also revealed: “Have a good time!” – a call to all friends, fans, and guests of the World Championships to celebrate a great and fun athletics fest in Berlin and to enjoy the exciting city.

Official IAAF Partners