By Andy Schooler, Sportinglife.com, Edmonton

It’s all over.

In my eyes, Edmonton 2001 has been a big success.

There have been some great events here. Today’s women’s 800m was one, Paula Radcliffe's 10000m heartbreak another.

Then there was one of the fastest men’s 100m ever and a cracking women’s pole vault.

Four events off the top of my head and that doesn’t mention the shock of the week, Marion Jones’ defeat in the women’s 100m.

The drug issue which reared its head once more around Olga Yegorova did its best to taint the championships, but overall it didn’t.

Sadly, athletics is a sport which will always have a drug cloud hanging over it just as it seems cycling will also from now on. The Ben Johnson affair of 13 years ago assured that.

Indeed as fans we will never truly know which athletes are clean and which aren’t.

But if you always question you will never enjoy.

The entertainment on offer here was sport out of the top drawer.

And the organisation surrounding the championships, and the friendliness of the city’s inhabitants, made it a pleasure for visitors to the Commonwealth Stadium to be part of.

My hope is that Britain can learn lots from the Edmonton 2001 local organising committee.

For London is due to stage these championships in 2005.

Undoubtedly London has things that Edmonton doesn’t.

I said earlier in the week I felt the label “Deadmonton” was unjustified here. But there is no doubt its large shopping malls and roadside warehouses lack the sparkle of London and the sights which make the British capital such a tourist puller.

What London 2005 organisers need to find is a way to link those benefits and the championships. Decent transportation – given that the events are due to take place near Walthamstow – would be a start.

The other criticism launched at Edmonton was that it failed to pull in the crowds. Today’s attendance of 54,920 was the best of the ten days (and it should be noted considerably more than the Picketts Lock London stadium will hold).

But as the world departs this Canadian outpost, it should be remembered that one of the reasons that it came to North America was to increase the sport’s popularity.

Only time will tell if it has managed to do that, but just like football’s World Cup should not be held in Europe every time, neither should the World Championships.

I congratulate the IAAF on taking the right decision and thank Edmonton for its well-organised, memorable event.