Jul. 13, 2007

Toyota to Provide 220 Official Vehicles Including 134 Prius
for 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics Osaka 2007

 

Tokyo ― TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that it would provide a total of 220 vehicles―including 134 Prius hybrid passenger vehicles―for use as official cars during the 11th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in Athletics Osaka 2007 (Osaka 2007), to be held from August 25 to September 2, 2007, in Osaka, Japan.

Toyota is the official partner for Osaka 2007, after having also been the official partner for the 2003 championships in Paris and the 2005 championships in Helsinki. For Osaka 2007, Toyota is helping to promote the IAAF's environmentally considerate Green Project* by providing vehicles that have less impact on the environment. In addition to the Prius, the vehicles provided will include the FCHV-BUS (fuel cell hybrid vehicle-bus), the Alphard Hybrid minivan, and the Dyna light-duty hybrid truck. Toyota is also scheduled to supply vehicles such as Welcab vehicles (specially equipped vehicles) for use by wheelchair competitors. These vehicles will be put to a variety of uses, such as serving as the lead vehicle and the media vehicle for the men and women's marathons and transporting athletes and officials.

At this year's championships, as a way of showing support for children, who will assume the responsibilities of the next generation, Toyota will give 900 people (100 people per day―50 pairs of elementary and junior high school students and their accompanying adults) free tickets to come and witness the performances of the world's top athletes. Ticket applications will be accepted between July 20 and August 6.

Applications can be submitted online or by postcard, and in the event of there being more applicants than available tickets, a draw will be held to select ticket recipients.

*A project launched by the IAAF, starting with the 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, that seeks to contribute to environmental conservation.  The aims of the project include implementing measures that help reduce environmental impact and collecting donations to be used toward afforestation initiatives.  The IAAF plans to announce more details soon.
Outline of Osaka 2007
Event 11th IAAF World Championships in Athletics Osaka 2007 (Osaka 2007)
Time August 25 - September 2 (nine days)
Venue Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan
Sponsor International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
Scale of event Countries/regions: 212
Athletes/officials: 3,200 (expected)
Number of events: 24 for men, 23 for women
Event website http://www.osaka2007.jp/index_e.html
Other The first World Championships in Athletics was held in Helsinki, Finland in 1983.  The event is held every two years.  This is the second time the event has been held in Japan;  the first was the 1991 Tokyo Championships held 16 years ago.

For more details, visit the Toyota website for the event: http://toyota.jp/iaaf/.  Details will be available from July 20.