Newsletter B10/ n.6

1 October 2008

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Barni hits the streets during his first Mercè Festi val The B10 mascot, who was named during the Mercè festival, attended the start of the Mercè race together with the Mayor of Barcelona. It was his first sporting competition, as the promotional activities had been concentrated in the centre of the city. The 9,000 athletes could see for themselves that, even two years before the start of the event, the European Athletics Championships are being very well organised.

Barni’s real work during the city’s main festival took place in the fair called “The city of people”, a popular event that this year has had Barcelona 2010 as its main theme. The event was held in a very large area in the stand of the Barcelona Sports Institute (IBE). The activities took place in the heart of the city, Paseo de Gràcia, where thousands of people visited the stand.

Many children visited the stand and could play games relating to athletics and to the mascot. A group of artists from a cultural association livened up the two-day B10 presentation at the start of the city’s festival. Everyone had the opportunity to have their photo taken with the mascot. The championships organisation uploaded photos of hundreds of people to the official B10 website.

The Sports Delegate of the City Council of Barcelona, Pere Alcober, who on 21 September ran the Mercè race wearing the number 2010, visited the Barcelona 2010 stand together with Sergi Pujalte, Manager of the Barcelona Sports Institute (IBE), and Mónica Barra, General Coordinator of B10, who officially named the B10 mascot as Barni.

Newsletter B10/ n.6

1 October 2008

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On 20 September, Barni welcomed a group of athletics champions who showed their support for Barcelona 2010. The mascot met the walkers María Vasco, José Antonio González and Jesús Ángel García Bragado, the middle-distance runner Mari Carmen González, the former European 50km Walk Champion Jordi Llopart, and other sports representatives such as Ander Mirambell (Skeleton), who didn’t want to miss the opportunity to spend some time with Barni.

The Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu, was not able to attend the mascot’s presentation due to the fatal car accident that occurred in the Horta area, where two people lost their lives. On the next day he attended the start of the Mercè festival race in Montjuïc.

On Sunday 21 Carles Martí visited the fair “The city of people”, representing the City Council’s government, and wished Barni much success in his new responsibilities.

Barni is already a popular character in Barcelona - a sentiment confirmed by his first appearance.

A record Mascot

The mascot presented by the design company from Badalona, Dorkota disseny, won the popular contest that was organised early last summer by the Organising Committee of the European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010. The Committee ratified the decision of the popular consultation during their first meeting after the summer. The mascot, which has been named Barni, was officially presented during the Mercè festival.

Barni, with Jordi Llopart, Mari Carmen. González, García Bragado and María Vasco

Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu, and the mascot Barni

Barni, with Josep Gurri and Noemí Alvarez from Dortoka disseny

Newsletter B10/ n.6

1 October 2008

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The winning mascot, which this time is neither an animal nor an inanimate object, but a young child who will grow and develop as the Championships approach, won against the other three finalists with 39.69% of the votes in a large public consultation (around 10,000 votes were counted). For the President of the European Athletics, Hansjörg Wirz, Barni is the whole find: “Barni is a youthful fresh and fun mascot who will appeal to the young and not so young people of Barcelona. We are certain we will have a lot of fun with him in the lead-up to and during the European Athletics Championships in 2010”.

“We think it’s the most appropriate mascot and it can be used extensively in the build up to Barcelona 2010”, said José María Odriozola, who hopes that the public will get to know this cute character in the same way and as quickly as they did with previous mascots of Barcelona’s other sporting events. According to Pere Alcober, Sports Delegate of Barcelona City Council, the mascot was the most interesting one of the final four choices: “We are very happy with it and I am convinced that it will catch on little by little. Barni is, in addition, a short name, easy to remember and which is identified by the city”.

The human doll of Barni is a creation of Quim Guixá, author of unforgettable mascots that have been the image of many sporting events in Spain: Cobi (Olympic Games of Barcelona), Cecilio (Alpine World Ski Championships, Sierra Nevada), Giraldillo (Word Athletics Championships, Sevilla), Clam (FC Barcelona’s 100th anniversary), and Indalete (Mediterranean Games, Almería). Guixá also created the Sevilla Expo 1992 mascot, Curro, plus the more recent Expo Zaragoza mascot, Fluvi.

The Barcelona 2010 mascot measures 2.45 metres, the same as the World High Jump record held by the Cuban jumper, Javier Sotomayor. The mascot has been manufactured with inflatable material so it only weighs 2 kg. It is cream-coloured and wears an orange T-shirt with the B10 logo.

Barni, with Pere Alcober, Sports Delegate of Barcelona City Council

Barni, with Quim Guixà

Newsletter B10/ n.6

1 October 2008

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Draw results from mascot’s popular vote

The prizes won by 26 people who voted for the mascot will be given on 10 October at 18.30 in the Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys of Montjuïc.

First Prize Winner: Trip to Torino (2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships) for two people:

Juan Carlos Carmona Díaz, Málaga

Winners of the 25 packages of promotional and sports material for under 18-year-olds:

1. Neus Forcada, Tarragona 2. María García Mouje 3. Anna Batista de Castro, Cabrils 4. Silvia Díaz 5. Marta Roig Comellas, Castellbisbal 6. Angela García Sáez, Salamanca 7. Marina Albertí Beltrán, Mollet del Vallès 8. Daniel Folch 9. Aniol López , Terrassa 10. Quim Materans 11. Adrián Pan 12. Marc Fusté, Vilanova i la Geltrú 13. María Sallent, Terrassa 14. Marco Domínguez, Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca) 15. Carla Massas, Barcelona 16. Lucas García, Avilés 17. Agustín Vizuete, Terrassa 18. Yann Jador Redonda, Vilanova i la Geltrú 19. Camila Mock, Mollet del Vallès 20. Jordi Mañosa, Sabadell 21. Marío Sánchez, Béjar (Salamanca) 22. Sandra Cavía Fraile, León 23. Miguel Ángel García Plans, Castellbisbal 24. Claudia Mateos, Barcelona 25. Anna Oriol Surroca, Santa Perpètua de la Mogoda

Newsletter B10/ n.6

1 October 2008

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• 4:21.13 is the new

Spanish mile record obtained by Núria Fernández in an incredible end of season where she also managed a 2:00.35 in 800 metres in Rieti. This is the fourth best Spanish result of all time

• 2.45 metres is the height of

Barni, Barcelona’s 2010 mascot. It is also the same as the World High Jump record held by Javier Sotomayor

• 18 titles were won by

European athletes in the Beijing Olympic Games, 10 by women and 8 by men. This figure represents 38.2% of the total titles won, two fewer than those obtained in Athens in 2004

• 6 races of 100m hurdles have

been run by Josephine Onya, after her poor performance in Beijing. In all these races she finished amongst the top three positions, winning in Gateshead, Paris, and in Stuttgart (World Athletics Final)

• 125,000 people visited

the Barcelona 2010 stand during the Mercè festival and have been able to meet in person the event mascot, Barni

• 51 is the number of times

Maurice Greene has run 100 metres in less than 10 seconds. This is the only record that the American hasn’t had beaten. Asafa Powell, who has run the 100 metres 7 times under 9.80, 22 times under 9.90, and 48 times under 10 seconds, only needs to run 3 more races under 10 seconds to beat him

Mónica Barra, new Barcelona 2010 General Coordinator

Mónica Barra has been unanimously appointed General Coordinator of the European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010, replacing Vicente Añó, who will still be linked to the project as an external consultant. Añó, who lives in Valencia, had previously informed the Organising Committee that because of professional reasons, he could not work exclusively for the Championships.

The young Italo-German manager joined the project earlier this year. Since then, Monica has been working as Director of the General Coordinator’s office, a position that now will be covered by Joan García, who will combine his new role with managing accommodation and transport. Christina Rodríguez, who will start on 1 October, will be the new Deputy Director of this department.

At the beginning of September, another two important positions were filled: Óscar Gallego became the new Marketing and Promotion Director, and Maribel del Moral took charge of Protocol and Ceremonies.

“We’re less than two years away from the event and we need to strengthen some strategic areas that are considered vital in such a big organisation,” stated Monica from her recent experience as Event Coordinator of the IAAF World Athletics Final which has taken place in Stuttgart in recent years. Monica is very happy with her appointment and with the new approved members of staff “which will reassure European Athletics and will give us the necessary structure to tackle this great challenge successfully”.

Newsletter B10/ n.6

1 October 2008

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García Bragado: “I will be 41, but I will still co mpete in B10”

Jesús Ángel García Bragado attended the presentation of Barni to the city. The former World 50km Walk Champion, who finished fourth in the last Olympic Games, is a very well-known figure in Spanish athletics, and has already decided that his sports career will continue, at least until the European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010. He has already decided, and, unless something unexpected happens, no one will be able to convince him otherwise. He will be 41.

“I’m in great shape at the moment and I will continue competing for two more years. After that, if I can handle it, I will compete in the World Championships in 2011 or even in London in 2012, but I will decide that later. Now I have to work step by step, especially now that I’m starting to have more physical problems than before,” explains García Bragado, who is on crutches at the moment after his recent hip operation, performed in Barcelona.

“I had a hip operation after the European Championships in Göteborg,” he explains with remarkable calmness, “and now I’ve had to have another operation on the other hip. It’s a problem related to our sport, but everything has gone well. I had the operation in the Dexeus clinic by the best specialists, and I’m sure that it will be very successful”. He has already set a date for his comeback: 21 December during a local event in Viladecans.

The veteran walker, who obtained the best Spanish result in athletics during the Beijing Games (fourth in the 50km walk), is convinced that he will remain in the elite despite his age: “There have been many other veteran athletes that have obtained great results at my age, and that makes me want to continue.” García Bragado will compete in Berlin (World Championships 2009) and in Barcelona (European Championships 2010) against familiar rivals, most of whom are from Europe.

García Bragado knows them all very well: “Except for the Australian Jared Tallent, who this year won two medals in two races, and the Japanese Yuki Yamakazi, the rest of the walkers are Europeans, so I will see them again in Barcelona. The Mexicans won’t be there either. They’re not in such a good form at the moment, although Horacio Nava, the best of them in Beijing, ended sixth and improved his personal best result.”

Newsletter B10/ n.6

1 October 2008

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Alex Schwazer, Erik Tysse, the Russians, Yohann Diniz, who didn’t finish in Beijing, and Paquillo Fernández, who has announced that he will soon start walking 50km, will have to count on the untameable Spanish walker, an intelligent and methodical athlete who has participated in a total of fifty-three 50km races and knows all the tricks of the trade at this distance.

García Bragado has Barcelona 2010 as one of his objectives. The championships “will be very important for me as they will take place in Spain, my home, and I will be able to compete for my people”.

Happening next month

9 October: Start of the campaign for recruiting Barcelona 2010 volunteers

18 October: Convention of European Athletics in Amsterdam

24 October: Coordination meeting of the Management of B10 and European Athletics