After Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt broke his second world record  there was no looking back. Berlin had captured the world’s attention.

At the closing ceremonies, participants thanked their hosts

The 12th International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships got off to a slow start with much being made of the high price of the tickets nd the rows of empty seats at many of the events in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

By the time the final weekend of the competition arrived, 400,000 people had gone through the turnstiles at the stadium. More than a million spectators turned out on the streets of Berlin to watch the marathon.

The 42,195-kilometer race, which wound its way through the historical city center, was also broadcast live in 190 countries, offering Berlin an enormous promotional opportunity.

An opportunity money can’t buy

“If you watched the pictures going around the world of the runners going through the Brandeburg Gate, down Unter den Linden, past the State Opera House, you knew Berlin was establishing a place in the mental map of the viewers,” said Berlin’s chief of tourism, Burkhard Kieker.

On Sunday, Klaus Wowereit, the city’s mayor, presented Bolt with a three-ton piece of the Berlin wall before knocking back claims that hosting the event had cost the city well in excess of the 20 million euros ($29 million).

“This is the sort of one-off promotion that money can’t buy,” Wowereit said.

Wowereit told a German broadcaster Berlin’s investment bank had calculated an increase of 120 million euros ($ 172 million) in GDP for Berlin over the next two years as a direct result of the championships.

Berlin already has 140 million visitors a year and is according to Kieker, the only city worldwide that can boast an increase in visitors of 2.6 percent in the first six months of 2009.

Berlin’s feel-good championships

Jamaican wonder-runner wins over Berlin hearts
The atmosphere Berlin provided at the championships has added another dimension to the city’s position as Europe’s most popular tourist destination after London and Paris.

In the past Berliners have had a reputation for being poor providers of customer service and of being blunt to the point of rude. They have, according to Kieker, emerged from the world championships as fair-minded spectators and welcoming hosts.

“I think the athletics meet has helped remind people around the world that Berlin is a worth a visit because it’s a very relaxed, laid back, friendly city with a lot to do and to see even if there is no sports. The outspokenness of Berliners is legendary but on the other hand you can see that behind this gruff exterior there is a lot of heart,” Kieker said.

Yes Berlin can

What Berlin has proven is that it has the means to manage a world event while benefiting from an unusually prominent year in the spotlight.

A federal election will attract the world’s news-gathering media in September -  and the city is also celebrating 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Despite the cost of hosting the championships Wowereit said it was essential for world cities to compete for international events as the crowds and investments this draws in the long term outweighs relatively small budget deficits.

Wowereit and Kieker have so far remained tight-lipped about whether Berlin will be bidding for the 2020 summer Olympics. The president of the German Athletics Association (DLV), Clemens Prokop was less reticent.

It is clear, he said, that Berlin has shown itself more than suitable for future big events including the Olympics.

Author: Tanya Wood
Editor: Trinity Hartman