The event, which takes place in Christchurch from January 21-30, will feature over 1,000 athletes competing at the 20,000-capacity Queen Elizabeth II Park Stadium, which was built in 1973 to host the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

Organisers were hoping to have sold far more tickets at this stage but event manager Neil Blanchfield said that despite the slow uptake, he expects a major surge in sales over the next two weeks.

He estimates at least 10,000 spectators will be in attendance by the time the event gets under way.

"Christchurch is going to rally around this event," he said.

"I'm confident that as we get closer to the day, our sales of tickets will grow."

Fiona Pickering, chief executive of Paralympics New Zealand and chair of the Organising Committee for the Christchurch 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships, added: "We're hoping the crowds will turn out for this special event and we have priced tickets at just $10 (£4.92) each to make it as affordable as possible."

Blanchfield said 1,000 hotel rooms were booked for the event two years ago.

The athletes will be supported by 700 team officials and around 200 international officials are flying in to help.

In addition, 120 journalists from around the world will report on the championships and live broadcasts are set to go out in Britain, Australia and Brazil.

Organisers predict that the ten-day event will cost around NZ$5 million (£2.5 million) to stage, with major contributions coming from the IPC, Sport and Recreation New Zealand, the Christchurch City Council and New Zealand Major Events.

However, the championships are set to give Christchurch a cash injection of about NZ$12 million (£6 million) while the economic impact for New Zealand is expected to be more than NZ$72 million (£35 million).

Meanwhile, 14 red buses have been converted to hold up to 10 wheelchair passengers at a time and over 800 Cantabrians have volunteered to help out at the event.

The Opening Ceremony takes place on January 21 and involves the athletes parading from the Worcester St Bridge to Cathedral Square.

Tickets to see the IPC Athletics World Championships be purchased from here.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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