Bernard Amsalem, President of French Federation
« It is with great pleasure and pride that we welcome the 8th European Cup Race Walking in Metz on 24 May 2009. The atmosphere promises to be extraordinary in the Lorraine region, where the public will be supporting the French Team and its big star Yohann Diniz, silver medallist at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. Without doubt this European Cup will be a fantastic celebration of athletics. The French Athletics Federation will be proud once again to show its capability to organise international competitions. See you in Metz! »
Pascal Chirat, National Coach of Walking and Road races
« The European Cup Race Walkingwill help us to promote walking in
France. At the moment we also have a star athlete who gives
our sport a big boost: Yohann Diniz. The spotlight will really be
on race walking. I am optimistic about the prospect of attracting
new participants to this discipline thanks to this competition.
Preparations are going very well at the moment and everything
is on schedule. »
Yohann Diniz, Silver Medallist at the 2007 World Championships
« The European Cup Race Walkingcould be the publicity showcase we
have been waiting for. It will introduce the general public to our
sport. There has not been an international race walking event in
France since 1999, so this will be my first competition at this level
at home. Two years ago I won the last European Cup for the 20 km
walk, so this is also a way of defending my title. The European
Cup Race Walking is definitely marked in my diary for 2009! »
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Metz, an appropriate location Metz is located in north-eastern France. It is the capital of the Moselle department and Prefecture town of the Lorraine region. It has a population of 127,000 and its residents are known as ‘Messins’. Metz is situated at the confluence of the Moselle and Seille rivers. Its climate is temperate, with an average temperature of 9.9°C varying from 1.5°C in January to 18.4°C in July. The main towns in the surrounding area are Nancy, 48 kilometres to the south, Luxembourg, 55 kilometres to the north, and Sarrebruck, 60 kilometres to the east. Metz lies about half-way between Strasbourg (130 km) and Reims (155 km). Paris is 360 km away, and Frankfurt am Main is 230 km away. |