By Xinhua
Valencia (Spain) : Students added colour to the 12th World Indoor Championships in Athletics on the opening day of the three-day competition with more than 2,000 boys and girls from 45 schools making their presence felt.
The students were invited by the Valencia 2008 organising committee for the highlight of an initiative titled ‘Athletics is a school’ at the competition in this seaport city Friday.
The initiative was coordinated by CEFIRE, a teaching training centre set up by the department of Culture and Sport of the Valencia regional government, the organisers said.
An educational guide for teachers was established with the aim of promoting athletics in all the schools in the region of Valencia.
The students of some schools were given the task of flag bearers for the 157 countries or regions participating in the World Championships. As many as 646 athletes are competing in 26 events during the championships, the last major international tournament before the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.
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American shot putter wins first gold
American Christian Cantwell won the first gold at the World Indoor Championships, taking the title in the men’s shot put after beating defending champion and compatriot Reese Hoffa into second place here.
Cantwell, the world indoor champion in 2004, won with a throw of 21.77 metres, 57 cm more than Hoffa’s 21.20 metres. Tomasz Majewski of Poland won the bronze medal with a throw of 20.93 meters, setting a new national record.
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Athletes mourn death of Spanish ex-councillor
Spanish athletes participating in the World Championships mourned the death of a former councillor from Spain’s ruling Socialist Party.
All the members of the Spanish team wore black ribbons on the first day of the three-day competition as a mark of condolence for the death of Isaias Carrsco, who was shot dead in the morning in the Basque town of Mondragon.
The 42-year-old councillor was shot in the back of the neck, a murder style typical of the Basque separatist group ETA, media reported.
The assassination took place just two days before Spain’s parliamentary elections.
The ruling Socialist Party and the opposition Popular Party both called off their election campaigns Friday, the last day election activities are allowed before the Sunday’s vote.