Andreas Hediger and Christoph Joho took over as meeting directors of Weltklasse Zürich last autumn. The two, who had both been members of the Zurich organising committee for many years, have good reasons to be optimistic about their first edition as co-directors which will take place on 3 September.
“Weltklasse Zürich is successful and ideally positioned,“ explained Christoph Joho. “And it is one of the meeting’s signature features to develop further and improve with every year. We will stay on this course of constant innovation and renewal,” Andreas Hediger added.
Swiss stars to create emotional moments at Letzigrund Stadium
This strategy also includes fast adjustment to changing contexts. “For the first time in ten years, we have the opportunity to showcase Swiss athletes in our fields which include the world’s best athletes,“ said Andreas Hediger. “Swiss stars, such as Mujinga Kambundji, Selina Büchel, or Kariem Hussein represent an enormous added value for our meeting. They are local heroes and role models and will be able to create many emotional moments and memories at Letzigrund Stadium.“
Swiss athletes will play a major role both in promoting the event and on the night of the meeting. “And we would like the audience to identify with our stars and their goals for the night even more,“ Andreas Hediger explained. International and Swiss crowd favourites will therefore be captured by cameras and shown on the video screen as they are warming up and as soon as they enter the arena.
Standing area and the UBS Swiss Fan Corner to offer special fan experience
In addition to a stronger focus on the presentation of the event, various elements, such as the reintroduction of the standing area and the UBS Swiss Fan Corner will provide fans with a very special meeting experience. In the UBS Swiss Fan Corner, for instance, they will be part of fan choreographies and will help create the unique Letzigrund atmosphere.
Athletics fireworks after the world championships
Once again, Weltklasse Zürich will present athletics fireworks featuring the best athletes in the world. Shortly after the world championships in Beijing, the global event’s protagonists will meet again at Letzigrund Stadium. And as always, the line-ups will resemble the start lists of world championship finals. The athletes will arrive on a SWISS direct flight from Beijing. “At this time of the season, the athletes will be in peak shape. We will do our logistical best as far as travel arrangements are concerned,“ Andreas Hediger stressed.
The signing of international stars usually starts when the IAAF Diamond League series gets underway. “As an IAAF Diamond League final event, we will be inviting the athletes with the highest scores in the intermediate standings of the series. And we will finalise our line-ups during the world championships,” Andreas Hediger explained.
There is one exception to this procedure, however: High jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim (QAT) has already confirmed his appearance in Zurich. “The men’s high jump will be one of the events fans should particularly watch out for. If Mutaz Essa Barshim is in the field, the world record tends to be on the cards,“ Andreas Hediger predicted.
Tickets to go on sale today
Stadium tickets for the meeting on Thursday, 3 September go on public sale today. “We anticipate a great demand,“ Christoph Joho said. “Be sure to secure your tickets early on. We expect that the stadium will sell out once again and that the athletes will have an audience of 25 000 spectators.“
Tickets for Weltklasse Zürich at Zurich Main Station, which will feature a very special airshow this year, are now available.
