The Haspa Marathon Hamburg has just become official holder of the World Athletics Gold Label Road Races. With the newly designed seal of quality, the World Athletics Federation (formerly IAAF) honours, among other things, the increased support of marathon and road races organisers in its anti-doping programme.
“The World Athletics Gold Label is, on the one hand, an expression of the appreciation of our event, but above all it is a visible and important sign that there must be no room in the world of sport for illicit means of improving performance. In this respect, I am doubly pleased about this award”, explains Frank Thaleiser, head organizer of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg.
The World Athletics Label Road Races comprises four quality levels – bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Their award is based on strict quality criteria with regard to event organisation and media coverage. On the other hand, it is based on the number of anti-doping controls carried out by elite athletes within the framework of the organisers´ own events as well as their financial participation in anti-doping measures outside competitions.
