Also attending the opening ceremony will be President of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge, President of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Lamine Diack, President of the Russian Olympic Committee and President of the IAAF Local Organising Committee Alexander Zhukov, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and others.
Around 4,100 athletes from 206 countries are expected to take part in the event. The IAAF World Championship in Athletics is the biggest international sports events after the Olympics and the Football World Cup.