Friday, August 14, 8.30 p.m., Platz des 18. März
(Brandenburger Tor)

HAVE A GOOD TIME!™ is also the theme of Welcome Night at the Brandenburg Gate. With a fabulous opening celebration, we will be officially welcoming the athletes, volunteers, and spectators of the 12 th IAAF World Championships in Athletics berlin 2009™ to Berlin.

When sports fans around the world turn their attention to Berlin, there will be plenty to see and hear: Images of the moving history of this city will start things off, accompanied live by the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg. The show will continue musically, when the greatest love songs dedicated to Berlin are reinterpreted in a generation-spanning manner: Wait and see by whom!

The pair of moderators, Norbert Dobeleit and Anastasia Zampounidis, will welcome the governing mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, and the IAAF president, Lamine Diack. Then the creative, athletic side of Berlin will be presented in a dynamic choreography: “In the Spirit of Athletics” is a performance of dancers, acrobats and athletes of the most varied disciplines. The soundtrack is provided by artists such as the electro pop band Jahcoozi and the internationally acclaimed soprano Nadja Michael. Her aria was composed specifically for Welcome Night.

Legends of athletics and young talents – their greatest moment and hopes for success – will meet on the stage in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Sunrise Avenue, the chart breakers from Finland, will set the mood with their song “The Whole Story”. A further highlight will be the March of the Continents – the 213 IAAF member federations represented by their flags and accompanied by the rhythm and dance of the five continents.

The evening will close with the comeback super hit by a-ha, “Foot of the Mountain”, the official song of the World Championships – a brilliant finale and at the same time starting signal for a fabulous World Championships.