IAAF Vice President Sergey Bubka and the Deputy Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov headed a joint press conference given by the IAAF and the Local Organising Committee of Moscow 2013 in the Luzhniki Stadium, the venue for the 14th IAAF World Championships on Wednesday.

Joining them in front of an audience of over 70 Russian media representatives were IAAF General Secretary Essar Gabriel, Deputy Head of Department for PE and Sport of Moscow Nickolay Gulyayev, and General Director of the Directorate for Sports and Spectacular Events of Moscow Aleksandr Polinskiy, who is also the Executive Director of the Moscow 2013 LOC.

With the sale of individual day tickets opening to the public on March 1st, the subject of the stadium spectators was a central topic.

The vast Olympic stadium is being reconfigured for the championships and will have a 50,000 capacity with 33,000 tickets available per session, once seating for VIPs, media, teams are taken into account.

Spectators can purchase the Day tickets for Moscow 2013 from the LOC ticket vendor.

The press conference was held to mark the IAAF’s latest site visit, which comes one month ahead of an IAAF Council meeting which will be hosted by Moscow.

Click here to read the full story on the IAAF website

On the last day of his visit to Beijing, IAAF President Lamine Diack visited the headquarters of China Central Television (CCTV) to make a new broadcasting agreement in the world’s most populous country, China.

President Diack signed the agreement with Controller of Sports Jiang Heping in CCTV Tower, the recently completed 53 floor skyscraper that is now one of Beijing’s landmark buildings and will serve as base for 20,000 staff.

CCTV has been appointed by Dentsu Inc., the IAAF’s exclusive agency for marketing rights worldwide and for media rights outside Europe and Africa, for a six year period from 2014-2019.

The agreement covers three editions of the IAAF World Championships, which include the venues of the last two Olympic Games, Beijing 2015 and London 2017, as well as the 2019 World Championships.

CCTV will also have the right to broadcast the following events of the IAAF World Athletics Series in this period, including the IAAF World Indoor Championships, the IAAF Continental Cup, the IAAF World Junior Championships, the IAAF World Youth Championships, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the recently created IAAF World Relays.

IAAF President Lamine Diack said: "I am particularly pleased that this agreement will ensure that coverage of the IAAF’s most important events will not only be seen in China but by the broadest possible audience, thanks to CCTV’s status as the country’s most important free to air broadcaster. One of the key pillars of the IAAF’s commercial and sporting strategy is to fully develop the potential of our sport in Asia, and this deal is a major step in this direction."

A total prize purse of US$245,000 will be paid by the IAAF for the men's and women's races at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, Kavarna, Bulgaria, on Saturday October 6 2012.

Prize Money (all amounts are in US$)

Individual

• 1st - 30,000
• 2nd - 15,000
• 3rd - 10,000
• 4th - 7000
• 5th - 5000
• 6th - 3000

Teams

• 1st - 15,000
• 2nd - 12,000
• 3rd - 9000
• 4th - 7500
• 5th - 6000
• 6th - 3000

World record bonus

Any athlete who surpasses a World record in Kavarna will be awarded $US50,000 by the IAAF.

NOTE. The payment of all prize money is dependent upon athletes undergoing and clearing the usual anti-doping procedures.

Race Timetable

Saturday October 6, 2012 (times are local: GMT +3)

• Women’s Race - 08:30
• Men’s Race - 11:00

(IAAF)

A total of US$2,464,000 is on offer from the IAAF as prize money at this weekend's 14th IAAF World Indoor Championships, Istanbul, Turkey (9-11 March). 

As usual, there is also a US$50,000 bonus for any athlete setting a new World record during the three-day championships. 

The last edition of the World Indoor Championships in Doha witnessed a World record in the Triple Jump courtesy of Frenchman Teddy Tamgho. The 2012 indoor season has produced one World record*, Yelena Isinbayeva's 5.01m leap in the Pole Vault in Stockholm on 23 February.

PRIZE MONEY** at the 14th IAAF World Indoor Championships

Individual events (total US$ 2,288,000):

• 1st US$40,000
• 2nd US$20,000
• 3rd US$10,000
• 4th US$8000
• 5th US$6000
• 6th US$4000

Relays (total US$176,000) per team:

• 1st US$40,000
• 2nd US$20,000
• 3rd US$10,000
• 4th US$8000
• 5th US$6000
• 6th US$4000

World record bonus

US$50,000 - for any athlete setting a new World record.

NOTE:

* pending the usual ratification procedures

** all awards are dependent upon athletes undergoing and clearing the usual anti-doping procedures