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World Championship agenda will help Jones medal quest
SYDNEY, Sept 29 (AFP) - Marion Jones, already the centre of attention here both on and off the track at the Olympics, is to have the whole of next year's World Championships programme built around her performances. Jones, who competes for a third gold medal out of a possible five in the long jump final here on Friday night, is to be given star billing at the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, in August 2001. The IAAF Council, meeting here ahead of the Olympics, has approved a radical new timetable for its championships, designed to put greater emphasis on the Blue Riband events, such as the women's 100 metres and the biggest female star in the sport, Jones. "On Saturday night here in Sydney, we had two great 100 metres finals staged within half an hour of each other," an IAAF spokesman told AFP. "It makes sense to better showcase the sport's global stars if we can." In Edmonton, the plans are to split the men's and women's finals to separate days, August 5 for the men and August 6 for the women. For Jones, it means she faces a potentially busy first day at the championships, since the first two rounds of the 100 metres are to be staged on August 5, the same day as the qualifying round for the women's long jump. The long jump final is scheduled for August 7, the day after the 100m final. The end of the programme has another departure, which again would affect Jones, with the staging of the women's 4x100m relay on the penultimate day of competition, rather than the final day as with the other three relay races. Edmonton will be the first time that the IAAF World Championships - which were first staged in 1983 - have been held in north America. One-third of all tickets for the event, from August 3 to 12 next year, have already been sold. Other innovations planned for next year include staging the men's marathon so that the finish becomes the climax of the opening ceremony. "This ensures an unforgettable launch of the World Championships," promised Jack Agrios, chairman of the Edmonton organising committee.
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