A mobilization meeting was held in Taicang on April 4, 30 days before the IAAF World Race Walking Cup.

Wang Jianxiong, Party secretary of Taicang, said at the meeting that preparations for the race must be completed in a timely manner.

Wang said that infrastructure construction should be accelerated while ensuring quality, and plans for reception, security, and medical care should be carefully reviewed and improved.

“We will try our best to make this World Race Walking Cup a most successful sports event with our first-class service, first-class organization and first-class city image,” Wang said.

The 2014 IAAF World Race Walking Cup is sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federation, and undertaken by the Chinese Athletic Association, Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau, and Taicang municipal government. It will be held in Taicang on May 3-4.

The race has been held biennially since 1951, and China has hosted the event once 19 years ago, in Beijing.