INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe goes Olympia in Paris

Martin Wacker, Managing Director of the organizing Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH, and Philipp Schätzle, Project Manager INIT INDOOR MEETING, were guests in the French capital over the past few days to watch some of the competitions at the Olympic Games in Paris. Of course, they also met up with an old friend: our Sports Director Alain Blondel is working as Director of Athletics at the Olympics and - in our opinion - is doing a fantastic job!

With great anticipation and a lot of tailwind, we are now preparing for the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe, which will return to its "living room" Europahalle on February 7, 2025, where it will celebrate its 40th anniversary!

INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe once again part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold in 2025

With the reopening of Karlsruhe's Europahalle in late 2024, one thing is now certain: the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe will return in 2025 after a one-year break - and in its living room, the Europahalle. Athletics fans should mark a date in their diaries at the beginning of the year. Because on Friday, February 7, 2025, the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe will once again take place as part of the World Indoor Tour Gold of the World Athletics Association and will also celebrate its 40th anniversary. This date can now also be found in the official calendar of the World Association of Athletics Federations "We are delighted to be returning as a founding member of the World Indoor Tour," says Martin Wacker, Managing Director of Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH, which is organizing the event. "The Europahalle has its very own flair. We have already experienced some historic moments here and we are looking forward to many more that our meeting will bring," continued Wacker.

"With our 40th anniversary, there is no better time to return to our living room. Now it's time to take the momentum from the Olympics in Paris into the 2025 athletics year and present world-class athletics to Karlsruhe once again."

Alain Blondel, Sports Director INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe

In addition to Karlsruhe, the world-class athletes will also be competing on the tour in Astana, Kazakhstan (January 24), Boston and New York, USA (February 2 and February 8), Ostrava, Czech Republic (February 4), Liévin, France (February 13), Torun, Poland (February 15) and the tour finale in Madrid, Spain (February 28). "With our 40th anniversary, there is no better time to return to our living room," says sports director Alain Blondel. "Now it's time to take the momentum from the Olympics in Paris into the 2025 athletics year to present world-class athletics in Karlsruhe once again," Blondel continued. Michael Schlicksupp, President of the Baden Athletics Association, can only agree: "I'm delighted that the INIT INDOOR MEETING is back at its traditional venue. The meeting is not only one of the most traditional in Germany, it also has great appeal beyond the region to Germany and the world."

But before world-class athletics can once again be experienced under an indoor roof at the start of 2025, athletics fans in Karlsruhe can once again look forward to competitions in the open air. As part of the Karlsruhe City Festival, world-class pole vaulters will present themselves at "Karlsruhe jumps!" on Saturday, October 12, on Karlsruhe's Schlossplatz and thus in the heart of the city.

INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe to be Cancelled for 2024

Return planned for 2025 at Europahalle with gold status / Planning for summer event already underway

The INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe will have to be put on hold in 2024, as the originally planned return to the Europahalle in 2024 is not feasible. Holding the meeting in the exhibition hall would have been possible in terms of scheduling, but due to the enormous – unplanned – costs, it wouldn’t be feasible. The supervisory board of the organising Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH approved the suspension of planning due to the enormous additional costs of holding the event again at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre in 2024 and to continue at the Europahalle in 2025.

“It is unfortunate that the INIT INDOOR MEETING will not be able to take its place in next year’s World Athletics Indoor Tour, but we understand that this is due to circumstances beyond their control. We look forward to welcoming them back to the Tour in 2025 in their new home” (Jon Ridgeon, CEO World Athletics)

Alain Blondel, Sports Director of the Karlsruhe meeting, was also impressed by the positive feedback from the World Athletics Federation: “The high level of trust from the World Federation is once again a sign of the incredible cooperation that has taken place around the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe for almost 40 years. Our thanks go to the World Federation and especially to the many volunteers who have been involved for years to ensure that Karlsruhe is seen worldwide in the athletics world every year. The INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023 was broadcasted in over 70 countries around the world, including South and Central America as well as Australia. “With the confidence placed in us and the guarantee from the World Federation, we can confidently look forward to 2025 and a successful return to the Europahalle,” Blondel continued. Martin Wacker, Managing Director of the organising Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH adds: “We will return to our traditional home, the Europahalle, stronger than ever and with additional partners for the anniversary edition, the 40^th meeting. Preparations are already underway for a summer event in 2024 that is similar to ‘Karlsruhe jumps’ in 2021.”

The INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe has been taking place for 39 years, presenting athletics at the highest international level year after year. In these 39 years, the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe has become an institution that enjoys worldwide recognition and competes in the highest sporting league, carrying the name of the city of Karlsruhe into the world of athletics. It has also become a significant factor in shaping the city’s image. The dedication of countless athletics fans, the organising LG Region Karlsruhe as well as the organising Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH are the reason why it has been possible to continue despite the very difficult conditions in the last few years with exorbitant price increases. As a result of the cancellation of the INIT INDOOR MEETING in 2024, the Karlsruhe School Athletics Championships and the LGR Youth Indoor Meeting will also not be able to take place. “We are tirelessly working to find a solution to provide students and athletes with familiar opportunities and bridge this gap. The open-air event planned by KME in the summer also aims to showcase athletics to the public,” adds Angelika Solibieda, Chairwoman of LGR Karlsruhe, regarding the situation.

Winners of the 2023 World Indoor Tour Gold are determined

Exactly one year from today, the start signal of the World Indoor Athletics Championships will take place in Glasgow, Scotland. Even though it is still a year away, it is already clear for eleven athletes that they will be competing in the most prestigious competition under the indoor roof. Last Saturday, after the stops in Karlsruhe, Boston (USA), Torun (Poland), New York (USA), Liévin (France) and Madrid (Spain), the World Indoor Tour Gold of the World Athletics Association came to an end in Birmingham, Great Britain, and with it the tour winners have been determined. The eleven athletes in question can look forward to prize money of 10,000 US dollars as well as a wild card for the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, which will take place next year from 1 to 3 March. Among the winners in the overall ranking were also three athletes who competed at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe on 27 January at the start of the tour and were also successful.

Overview of all winners of the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold 2023:

Frauen:
60  meters - Aleia Hobbs (USA)
800 meters - Keely Hodgkinson (GBR)
3,000 meters - Lemlem Hailu (ETH)
Pole Vault - Alysha Newman (CAN)
Triple Jump - Liadagmis Povea (CUB)
Shot Put - Sarah Mitton (CAN)

Männer:
60 meters hurdles - Grant Holloway (USA)
400 meters - Jereem Richards (TTO)
1,500 meters - Neil Gourley (GBR)
High Jump - Hamish Kerr (NZL)
Long Jump - Thobias Montler (SWE)

INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023: World-class Athletics to Kick Off the World Indoor Tour Gold

National record and meeting record: Dina Asher-Smith sets highlight to kick off World Indoor Tour Gold / One meeting record, one national record and seven world best performances / Live broadcast in over 70 countries worldwide

The INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023 could not have had a better ending. Because the last act at the opening of the World Indoor Tour Gold was the highlight of the 39^th edition of the Karlsruhe meeting in front of 3,000 spectators in a completely sold-out athletics arena in Messehalle 3. Karlsruhe, as an athletics location, thus once again provided a platform for further exciting competitions within the framework of the World Indoor Tour Gold, which still has stops in Boston (USA), Torun (Poland), New York (USA), Liévin (France), Madrid (Spain) and Birmingham (Great Britain).

It was the highlight of the evening and it belonged to the British Dina Asher-Smith. “I came to Karlsruhe to run fast and somehow I hoped it would end up being a British record,” she said after her race in the 60 metres. In the end, that was exactly what happened for the sprint queen from Great Britain. With a blazing time of 7.04 seconds, she not only set a British record, but also equalled Irina Privalova's 27-year-old meeting record, thus making Karlsruhe history. She relegated Poland's Ewa Swoboda (7.09 seconds) and Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji (7.11 seconds) to second and third place. “I love coming to Karlsruhe. I love running in Germany, and Karlsruhe is one of my favourite meetings,” the Englishwoman raved in advance at the press conference. In her fifth start in Karlsruhe, Asher-Smith won the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe for the third time following 2015 and 2021.

In the men’s pole vault, there was still a trio at 5.88 metres. But neither the American KC Lightfoot, Kurtis Marschall from Australia nor Emmanouil Karalis from Greece managed the 5.88 metres. Thanks to no misses up to 5.88 metres, the day’s victory went to the American KC Lightfoot. The men’s 60-metre hurdles were a thrilling event. In the Spanish duel, Enrique Llopis secured victory in 7.57 (.561) seconds, just two thousandths of a second faster than his compatriot and European champion Asier Martínez.

The decision in the women’s 800 metres was just as close. Anita Horvat from Slovenia and Freweyni Hailu from Ethiopia crossed the finish line almost exactly at the same time. Anita Horvat decided the duel in the end with a personal best of 2:00.44 minutes and was just two hundredths of a second faster than the Ethiopian Hailu, who also ran a personal best. This year, the men competed for points in the World Indoor Tour’s 400 metres. Benjamin Lobo Vedel from Denmark crossed the finish line in 46.45 seconds to win the two arena laps. The women’s triple jump at the INIT INDOOR MEETING 2023 advanced to become a Cuban affair. Liadagmis Povea increased her personal best by ten centimetres to 14.64 metres, relegating her fellow countrywoman Leyanis Perez-Hernandez to second place with a distance of 14.41 metres and thus celebrating her second meeting victory. Almost as expected, the women’s long jump was won by Ivana Vuleta, better known by her maiden name Španović. At her season debut in Karlsruhe, 6.76 metres was enough for the Serbian to win. “It was my first start this year and even from a shortened run-up,” Vuleta said after her competition. “I am very happy to be back in Karlsruhe after four years and thank everyone for the excellent atmosphere,” Vuleta continued.

As in previous years, the women’s 3,000 metres were dominated by Ethiopian athletes. The only 21-year-old reigning European indoor champion Hailu Lemlem secured victory in a final sprint of 8:37.55 minutes ahead of Werkuha Getachew (8:37.98 minutes) – also from Ethiopia. The men’s 3,000 metres were also on the programme. And in the men’s race, too, it was an Ethiopian athlete who secured the day's victory. Abdisa Fayisa, just 17, stormed to victory in 7:40.35 minutes, just 18 hundredths of a second ahead of Belgium’s Robin Hendrix (7:40.53 minutes), thanks to a strong final sprint down the home straight. The best German in the field was U23 European champion Mohamed Abdilaahi. In the men’s 1,500 metres, George Mills not only went on to win the day, but also improved his personal best indoors with his time of 3:35.88 minutes. In the women’s shot put, the old meeting winner from 2021 is also the new one. In the end, 18.90 metres stood at the top of the scoreboard for the European silver medallist from Munich and reigning world indoor champion Auriol Dongmo from Portugal. Second place went to Sarah Mitton from Canada (18.88 metres).

The organisers of the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe could look back on a successful start of the World Indoor Tour Gold after the end of the competition. “We are back after two difficult years with Corona,” said sports director Alain Blondel. “A hall that has never been sold out so early, highly motivated athletes – what more could you want,” Blondel continued. And Martin Wacker, meeting director and managing director of the organising Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH, was also very satisfied. “Karlsruhe celebrated a festival of athletics. We saw a super atmosphere with lots of emotions in the hall and the athletes paid us back with world-class performances.”

The World Indoor Tour Gold continues its journey across the pond next weekend. The athletes will then compete at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston before the overall winners of the tour are crowned in Birmingham after further stops in Torun, New York, Liévin and Madrid.

Women’s 3,000 meters at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023: Will African athletes retain their dominance?

In recent years, the 3,000 meters at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe has been firmly in the hands of Ethiopia's women's team. Now, the question is whether this will be the case on 27 January, 2023 as well. In any case, Ethiopia will be represented by a strong team of female runners this coming Friday, meaning the race is likely to be fast. Axumawit Embaye, who won in the women's 1,500 meters last year, will be in the running. Besides the 1,500 meters, the 28 year-old also took the silver medal in the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. She ran her personal best time of 8:49.52 minutes for the 3,000 meters indoors in 2017, at the INIT INDOOR MEETING. Hailu Lemlem, who is only 21 years old, is coming to Karlsruhe with the fastest 3,000 meter time of 8:29.28 minutes. She was also successful at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade last year, taking gold with a time of 8:41.82 minutes. Next in the pack is the 27 year-old Werkuha Getachew. She comes to the competition having taken silver in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at last year’s World Athletics Championships to start the World Indoor Tour Gold. Her personal best time for the 3,000 meters of 8:41.95 minutes is also remarkable, and she has a great chance of making the winner’s podium. Dawit Seyaum's personal best time indoors, which she ran at least year's Indoor Tour Meeting in the French city of Liévin, is even better. She also won her last medal last year. She took gold for the 5,000 meters at the World Athletics Championships. Her silver medal in the 1,500 meters at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2016 proves that she is also a contender at the shorter distances. It will also be exciting to see how Luiza Gega, the Albanian European Champion in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, will do against the competition from Africa.

INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe: The Women’s Triple Jump Goes Long

Technically, the triple jump is probably one of the most demanding disciplines in athletics, because getting the “hop”, “step” and “jump” perfect is anything but easy. But if they succeed, the best athletes fly over 15 metres. And two athletes who have already succeeded in doing so will also be competing at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe on 27 January 2023: namely Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk and Patricia Mamona.

It is not so often that a world-class long jumper is also a world-class triple jumper, but that is the case with Ukraine’s Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk. In the 2020 long jump final she won this competition ahead of Germany’s long jump ace Malaika Mihambo. Now she wants to do the same in the triple jump. With the Finnish European silver medallist Kristiina Mäkelä, the Portuguese 15-metre jumper and Olympic silver medallist in Tokyo and European indoor champion in 2021 Patricia Mamona, the World Championship bronze medallist Tori Franklin from the USA and the Cuban Olympic 5th place Olympic finisher Liadagmis Povea, she will have competition that will make it difficult for her to win.

Fast Times at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023

If you take a look at the starting field in the sprint disciplines at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023, you will quickly realise that fast times await you. Pascal Martinot-Lagarde, the 2018 European champion, and Asier Martínez, the reigning European champion, have confirmed their participation in the men's hurdles. In the women’s sprint, Dina-Asher Smith, Ewa Swoboda, Malaika Mihambo and Alexandra Burghardt, who have already been confirmed, will have to compete with renowned rivals, as Mujinga Kambundji, the reigning world indoor champion, and the two British women Asha Philip and Daryll Neita will also compete in Karlsruhe.

Remaining ticket contingent also sold out

The INIT INDOOR MEETING was sold out earlier than ever before. All tickets had already been sold out before Christmas. And the remaining contingent of tickets from TV blackouts and returning tickets from partners and sponsors, which went on sale yesterday morning, was also sold out in just over ten minutes. Those who were unable to get hold of one of the 3,000 tickets for the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe need not be sad. The sports pictures from Karlsruhe are broadcast nationally and worldwide. SWR will be streaming from Exhibition Hall 3 on the day of the meeting from 18:30. In addition, the meeting will be broadcast worldwide by currently 19 broadcasters in around 60 countries, including South and Central America as well as Australia.

Entire world elite in women’s shot put to compete at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023

If you take a look at the starting field in the women’s shot put at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe on 27 January, you will quickly find the best that women’s shot put has to offer. A total of nine female athletes will compete. The first six athletes in the world ranking list, who have attracted attention with numerous international titles in the recent past, will also compete at the opening of the World Indoor Tour Gold in Karlsruhe.

Start list women´s shot put:
1. Chase Ealey (USA)
2. Sarah Mitton (CAN)
3. Jessica Schilder (NED)
4. Auriol Dongmo (POR)
5. Danniel Thomas-Dodd (JAM)
6. Fanny Roos (SWE)
7. Sara Gambetta (GER)
8. Katharina Maisch (GER)
9. Julia Ritter (GER)

Pole vaulting at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023 becoming increasingly high-profile

The starting field of pole vaulters at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe is becoming increasingly high profile. The two top German jumpers Bo Kanda Lita Baehre and Oleg Zernikel are now joined by two six-metre jumpers and one who has fond memories of the INIT INDOOR MEETING. First, as one of the illustrious circle of six-metre jumpers, is the Brazilian Thiago Braz, a highly decorated as Olympic champion at the Rio 2016 Games and silver medallist at Tokyo 2020, with a personal best of 6.03 metres. Who can forget his epic duel with Renaud Lavillenie at the 2016 Olympic Games, which he won? Thiago Braz also competed at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe, but failed to make an attempt. At that meeting in 2018, Raphael Holzdeppe won with a personal indoor best of 5.88 metres. Now the 33-year-old Holzdeppe, who won the bronze medal at the London Games in 2012 and became world champion in Moscow a year later, wants to make a new start in Karlsruhe after a knee injury that cost him his fourth Olympic participation. In addition, KC Lightfoot is an athlete who thrilled spectators last year by taking second place with his strong jump of over 5.89 metres. He was only beaten by Armand Duplantins, who jumped a meeting record that day. The best mark of the 23-year-old US boy, who finished fourth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, is exactly six metres.

Timetable

Here you can find the timetable for the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe on friday, 27th January 2023.

➤ Timetable as PDF

Dina Asher-Smith and Ewa Swoboda bring international medal lustre to INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe

There are still a little more than four weeks to go until the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe on 27 January 2023 at Messe Karlsruhe, but it is already becoming apparent that athletics fans will once again be able to experience a number of top athletes up close. Because in the women’s 60 metres, for which Malaika Mihambo has also confirmed her start, the spectators can look forward to Dina Asher-Smith from Great Britain and Poland's Ewa Swoboda, among others.
Dina Asher-Smith, Ewa Swoboda and Malaika Mihambo are also joined by Alexandra Burghardt, who has already won international medals this year with her gold medal at the home European Championships in Munich as well as bronze in Eugene at the World Championships – both with the 4-by-100-metre relay – and has already caused a sensation this year. Burghardt can also call herself a six-time German champion. In the men´s pole vault, it comes to a duel between the Germans Bo Kanda Lita Baehre and Oleg Zernikel.

Germany’s athletics star Malaika Mihambo to compete at the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023

At the end of January, the athletics world will once again be looking to Karlsruhe. The INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe is the eighth edition of the World Indoor Tour Gold of the World Athletics Association. Karlsruhe, as a founding member of this world indoor series, will kick things off, followed by Boston, Torun, New York, Liévin, Madrid and Birmingham. An absolute world-class athlete will also compete in Karlsruhe, as Olympic, World and European Champion Malaika Mihambo, the reigning Sportswoman of the Year, confirmed her participation in the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe at a press conference. Mihambo, who competes for LG Kurpfalz, also has a meeting victory to her name. In 2018, Mihambo won the long jump in Karlsruhe ahead of her compatriot Sosthene Moguenara.

Disciplines have been decided: Guaranteed World-class Athletics

World-class athletics – in a total of eleven disciplines. That is what INDOOR MEETING fans have to look forward to at the start of the international indoor athletics series World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold on 27 January 2023 in Karlsruhe. With the announcement of the tour disciplines by the World Athletics Federation, the disciplines for the INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe have now also been decided. At the end of January, the top stars from the athletics scene will compete in a total of eleven disciplines in Karlsruhe, in eight of which points are at stake for the overall victory and thus a 20,000 US dollar victory bonus as well as a wildcard for the European Indoor Athletics Championships, which will take place in Birmingham, UK, in 2024.

Overview Disciplinen 2023:

Women: 60 metres, 800 metres, 3.000 metres, Triple Jump, Shot Put (Part of the World Indoor Tour)
Long Jump (outside the tour competition)

Men: 400 Metres, 1.500 metres, 60 metres Hurdles (Part of the World Indoor Tour)
3.000 metres, Pole Vault (both outside the tour competition)

Ticket-Vorverkauf für das INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe 2023 gestartet

Karlsruhe und das INIT INDOOR MEETING stehen seit mehr als 35 Jahren für Leichtathletik der Weltklasse. Auch 2023 präsentieren sich wieder Olympiasieger sowie Welt- und Europameister zum Jahresauftakt in Karlsruhe. Am 27. Januar 2023 wird das INIT INDOOR MEETING Karlsruhe der Auftakt der World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold sein. Damit zählt Karlsruhe als Leichtathletik-Standort auch 2023 zu den insgesamt sieben Meetings mit Gold-Status – der höchsten Kategorie, in welches ein Hallen-Meeting eingestuft werden kann.

JETZT TICKETS SICHERN!

Tickets gibt es bei allen bekannten Vorverkaufsstellen, unter anderem beim Schaufenster Karlsruhe in der Tourist-Information am Marktplatz, sowie online über www.ticketmaster.de erhältlich sein. Sitzplatztickets kosten 39,50 Euro, Sitzplatz ermäßigt 29,50 Euro, Stehplatztickets sind für 19,50 Euro erhältlich.