Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessings as WYC 2009 opens

Submitted by Yomi Omogbeja on 6 July 2009 - 9:08pm

All is set for the World Youth Championships in Bressanone/Brixen. Around 1350 athletes from 180 nations are looking forward to the Opening Ceremony for the 6th edition of the WYC.

The ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 pm on Tuesday on the main square in Bressanone/Brixen. No event in South Tyrol has ever attracted as many participants. Medal events start on Wednesday.

Pope Benedict XVI offered his wishes to the organizers and athletes of the WYC immediately after his Angelus prayer.

The Pope said: "The bishop of Bolzano/Bozen and Bressanone/Brixen (Note from Editor: Karl Golser) has informed me that the Athletics World Youth Championships are taking place from July 8th to 12th in Bressanone/Brixen.

"I send my special regards to all organizers and athletes. I wish everyone carefree and fair competitions based on the genuine spirit of the sport". 

The Opening Ceremony is taking place on the same square where the Pope prayed with thousands of believers during his vacation in Bressanone/Brixen last year.

More than 2000 accredited individuals from 180 nations - setting a new participants' record - are looking forward to the Opening Ceremony held in three languages (German, Italian and English) and expected to last 45 minutes.

The actual ceremony starts at 6:30 pm while participating athletes will start preparing for the parade at 5:15 pm.

Four South Tyrolean athletes will have a special role in the festivities. Local Governor Luis Durnwalder will officially open "Südtirol 2009" after speeches by Mayor Albert Pürgstaller, FIDAL President Franco Arese and IAAF President Lamine Diack.

The ceremony will conclude with at 25-minute-long performance reflecting on Bressanone/Brixen's history. Competitions will kick off the next day.

A total of 20 medal events each for boys and girls are on the program. Two competition blocks are scheduled for each day, except Sunday.

Almost all medal decisions will take place in the afternoon or the early evening. Competitions will last from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm except for Sunday when competitions will be limited to 2 ½ hours from 2:30 pm to 4:55 pm.

South Tyrol's only hope Matteo Didioni will run in the 100m preliminaries at 12:35 pm on Wednesday.

Ticket can be purchased on Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon and 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the stadium. Starting on Wednesday, the box office at the stadium will be open from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Ticket passes for the five days cost €10 for children from the age of 12 to 15. Children under 11 enter for free if accompanied by an adult. Single tickets range from €7 to €12 depending on the stands (some are covered main stands).

The WYC will also be broadcast on Italian TV: Rai Sport Più will broadcast daily summaries. Eurosport will also broadcast partly live from Bressanone/Brixen. More details on the broadcast schedule will follow.

The official timetable can be downloaded from here