Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping received the IAAF Golden Order of Merit from IAAF president Lamine Diack, a media report said. Xi met the world athletics head on Saturday, roughly an hour before he formally opened the 15th IAAF World Championships, Xinhua reported.

During the meeting at the Bird's Nest National Stadium, the venue for the world championships, Xi praised the IAAF's efforts to promote athletics around the globe and to enhance the friendship between different peoples. Xi noted that China hopes to contribute to world athletics by hosting the biennial world championships, saying the country will continue to support the world athletics movement and to make greater contribution in the future. Diack spoke highly of China's contribution to the overall development of world sports, athletics in particular, and expressed the IAAF's wish to strengthen cooperation with China

(IANS)