Canada's sunshine city is fully prepared to host the eighth International Amateur Athletic Federation World Championships from August 3-12.

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta and is located just over 180 miles from Calgary, where the Winter Olympics were held in 1988.

The city is determined to show off both its culture and its capability in the organisation of major events just a month after Toronto missed out in the race to host the 2008 Olympics.

The track-and-field world championships have historically been the third most popular sporting event after the Olympics and football's World Cup.

The IAAF World Championships were first hosted by Helsinki in 1983, but have never been held on the American continent before.

Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium was originally constructed for the 1978 Commonwealth Games and also hosted the World University Games in 1983, but has been totally rebuilt for this summer's championship.

Apart from the goings-on in the stadium, a 'World Plaza' will be open daily, catering for crowds expected to number between 30,000 and 50,000.