Traffie, the official mascot © IAAF2006

The IAAF World Championships in Athletics stands with the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup^TM as the world's three greatest sporting events. The 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics Osaka 2007 will be held in Nagai Stadium in Osaka City for 9 days between August 25th and September 2nd, 2007.

Osaka serves as the venue for this opportunity to witness the world's top athletes from 212 countries and regions in an intense bid to go ever faster, ever farther and ever higher in 24 events for men and 23 for women, including the iconic marathon. The prefectural government and citizens alike are already looking forward to the excitement.

Mr. Masataka Nishihara, a member of the citizens' cheering party for IAAF World Championships in Athletics Osaka 2007

Many citizens have joined hands to help boost the Championships by participating in the “citizens' cheering party.” They actively promote various citizen-level exchanges by coming to the stadium to watch the Championships and cheering for athletes from all over the world.

Osaka Castle Park, which is being proposed as the site of the summit meeting in the campaign to attract the G8 Summit

The 2008 G8 Summit is to be held in Japan. The Osaka Prefecture has teamed up with neighboring prefectures including Kyoto and Hyogo as well as the business sector to host the event in these regions to bring about the Kansai Summit.

The Osaka Prefecture is working to bring the summit meeting to Osaka Castle. The prefecture boasts optimum infrastructure ranging from an international airport and highway system to first-class hotels, as well as exemplary security readiness demonstrated in the 1995 APEC Osaka Meeting. The local feeling is that this is a perfect opportunity for people from a number of countries to visit Osaka and discover its history, culture and many other offerings.

Ms. Kiyomi Ishii, an active member of Osaka Volunteer Guide Club

Tourism volunteers now numbering more than 100 are personally showing visitors places of interest in Osaka not mentioned in any tourist guide book. We wish to continue introducing to visitors from overseas the charm spots of the Osaka by fully bringing into play “the talkative and kind Osakan character.”

From: Brand-New Osaka vol.1 (2006.11.)