After a "remarkable turnaround" in less than two weeks, IAAF President Lamine Diack said on Thursday that "he had been told to expect full houses for the evening sessions at next month's athletics world championships in Beijing."
On July 18, Diack "had expressed his concern at the slow rate of ticket sales for the Aug. 22-30 championships at the Bird's Nest stadium." However, he said that "sales now indicated the stadium would be packed for the evening sessions" and "90 percent capacity" for the morning heats (REUTERS, 7/30). ... Motor sport enthusiasts have been assured that V8 Supercars' takeover of the Bathurst 12 Hour is aimed at "increasing the event's stature" as an int'l GT sports car endurance race. Amid "disquiet among hardcore fans about the buyout," V8 CEO James Warburton has committed to making the Bathurst 12 Hour "bigger and better as a standalone GT event." Warburton: "We're now going to promote the event to the best of our ability from an international point of view and that's all there is to it" (THE AGE, 8/1). ... Glamorgan's One-Day Cup match against Hampshire was "abandoned following consultation about a 'dangerous pitch' at Cardiff's Swalec Stadium." The umpires called off the match when Hampshire batsman Jimmy Adams was hit by a "rising delivery." Following the decision to abandon play, the match "becomes a no result meaning both teams will take one point each" (BBC, 8/2).
