By Nick Butler

A dramatic Opening Ceremony will take place to mark the beginning of the Great North Run ©Bupa Great North RunA "dramatic" Opening Ceremony will take place tomorrow to recognise the millionth finish celebrations ahead of the Great North Run.


Ahead of the half-marathon race from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to South Shields on Sunday (September 7), the evening will see the millionth finish achievement officially recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletics for a Better World global social responsibility programme.

The celebrations will commence with a Protocol Ceremony hosted by the President of the IAAF, Lamine Diack, and feature some of the most legendary names in the sport.

Hosted on the banks of the River Tyne, the ceremony will also be attended by world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe and two-time Olympic 10,000 metres champion Haile Gebrselassie.

Also present will be two luminaries of British distance running, including Brendan Foster and Mike McLeod, respective Olympic bronze and silver medal winners in the 10,000m at the Montreal 1976 and Los Angeles 1984 Games, and 11-time Paralympic athletics champion, Tanni-Grey Thompson. 

The evening will finish with the unveiling of the First Millionth Finish flag.

"We are delighted to announce that the President of the IAAF, Lamine Diack, will be overseeing the official protocol for the Great North Run Million Opening Ceremony, celebrating Tyneside as the first ever host of the millionth finish," said Foster, founder of the Great North Run. 

"Such is the stature of the accomplishment that the millionth finish event is being included in the IAAF's Athletics for a Better World initiative, which we are enormously proud of."

It will be hoped the ceremony will be followed by a race as exciting as the 2013 version, where Kenenisa Bekele outsprinted Mo Farah to claim the men's title ©AFP/Getty ImagesIt will be hoped the ceremony will be followed by a race as exciting as the 2013 version, where Kenenisa Bekele outsprinted Mo Farah to claim the men's title ©AFP/Getty Images



The event will form a wider part of the Athletics for a Better World initiative, launched by the IAAF earlier this year with the aim of using the universality of athletics to make a positive difference by helping to support and promote projects around the world in the fields of peace, social inclusion, environment and health.

Given that the race has, it is claimed, given "ordinary citizens from all over the world the chance to be inspired and motivated to use athletics as a way to become fit and healthy and, through charity support, to also generously give to others", the Great North Run is viewed as an ideal partner.

"Athletics for a Better World is a crucial initiative made up of a number of inspirational projects throughout the world aiming to encourage and promote athletics to millions as a way to create fit and healthy lifestyles," said Diack.

"The millionth finish of the Bupa Great North Run is an extraordinary achievement which we welcome into Athletics for a Better World.

"I would like to thank Brendan Foster and his team for the phenomenal work they have done since 1981 to make this IAAF Gold Label Road Race not just an important fixture in world athletics but also a part of the rich athletics culture in Great Britain."

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