The World Athletics Championship is to begin in the city which hosted the inaugural event. Inas Mazhar reports from Helsinki In 1983 Helsinki, the Finnish capital, known to be the temple of track and field, hosted the first edition of the World Athletics Championships, revealing great stars like Carl Lewis and Tina Lillak. Now, after three years of preparation and planning since the April 2002 decision to award the World Championships to Helsinki, the city is set to welcome the athletics world from 6-14 August. The championship, the largest sporting event in the world in 2005, will take place in the newly refurbished Olympic stadium. Banners and flags are being unfurled, and the number of championship volunteers, wearing their familiar blue and white Mizuno uniforms, are visibly increasing on the streets of the Finnish capital. The 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics will be subject to the largest anti-doping programme ever conducted by the IAAF, including both drug testing and educational activities. The 2005 edition of these World Championships will see more than 850 tests conducted both before and during the competition, easily the largest testing programme ever conducted at an IAAF World Championships. Virtually one in every two athletes will be tested during the championships. Approximately 350 competitors will be blood screened as they enter the athlete's village, while during the championships themselves, close to 500 tests will be collected -- more than 50 tests for every day of competition. Also in competition, about 100 blood tests will be carried out for the detection of blood transfusion, Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carriers (Hbocs) and other substances. Egypt has sent only two athletes; one is Omar El-Ghazali in the discus. The 20-year-old is Egypt's hope in Helsinki. El-Ghazali holds the world record in the under-20 category and is the African champion. He underwent intensive training in Denmark before flying to Helsinki. The other athlete, Mohsen Annani, replaced Marwan Hussein in the hammer throw. Hussein was set to travel to Helsinki with a 68.69 record but was replaced by Annani who set a new Egyptian record of 75.63. As for other African and Arab champions, Moroccan double Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion in the 1500m, Hicham Al-Guerrouj, has confirmed to the Royal Moroccan Athletics Federation (FRMA) that he will not participate in the World Championships. It will be the first time that Al-Guerrouj has been absent from the biennial World Championships since he made his debut in 1995 when he took the silver medal. In a statement to l'Agence Marocaine de Presse (MAP), Al-Guerrouj, 31, said he regretted his non-participation in Helsinki. "I am sad and bitter to be absent for the first time from the World Championships, but I will be present in Helsinki to support my colleagues." Al-Guerrouj also indicated that 2005 would now be a sabbatical year for him competitively, that he would take a break from running, and that he would restart training possibly with the intention of competing in the next indoor season. Defending world champions Kenenisa Bekele (10,000m) and Tirunesh Dibaba (women's 5000m) are included in both the 5000m and 10,000m squads of Ethiopia which will be represented by 33 athletes . It is fast becoming a tradition before the beginning of a major championship to speculate over a possible double attempt by world and Olympic 10,000m champion Bekele. The Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF)'s selection this time around cleared all selection confusion by naming Bekele in both the 5,000m and 10,000m teams. The EAF also confirmed that Bekele will indeed be running the double unless a major health problem should occur before the championship. Bekele has not rejoined his teammates in the EAF training camp in Addis Ababa and has been unavailable for comment. Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Sileshi Sihine and in- form runner Abebe Dinkessa will be his major challengers over the 10,000m, although the duo have both been named as reserves in the 5,000m squad. Apart from Bekele, Ethiopians will pin their hopes on their sub-13 minute duo, Dejene Berhanu and Kenenisa's younger brother Tariku who makes his first major senior championship appearance. Ethiopian 5,000 and 10,000m champion Gebregziabher Gebremariam is another runner keen to get his first senior track championship medal after finishing sixth in Paris two years ago and fourth in Athens last year. He ran both those races over the 5,000m but a move to the longer distance, reported to be his favourite, might just be what he needs. The squad also contains two middle distance runners who have qualified by virtue of their qualifying times in Athens last year. The marathon Ethiopian squad will consist of 12 athletes (10 starters and two reserves). Senegal has announced an elite team of seven athletes, five women and two men. The Senegalese team of course will be headed by 2001 world champion and 2003 bronze medallist at the women's 400m Amy Mbacké Thiam. Athletics South Africa has named a 28-member team. It consists of 16 men and seven women for the track and field competition, together with five athletes for the men's marathon.
