With the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup just around the corner, precisely in July, the fourth ticket sales phase came to a close on 20 February 2011 with an astonishing 80,000 orders received from over 40 countries.
“We’re delighted that the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 has garnered such a huge amount of interest. It once again shows that the women’s game has struck a chord among the German people. We’re confident we can fill the stadiums and produce an unforgettable World Cup atmosphere,” explained Steffi Jones the Organizing Committee President of the Women’s World Cup 2011.
After almost four months, 180 hours in the air and 120,000 kilometers of travel, FIFA and the OC finally completed their official FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011™ Welcome Tour in the Korea DPR capital of Pyongyang.
The welcome Tour is part of the beginning of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Berlin. A cumulative total of around 2,800 guests from the world of sport, politics, business and media attended the 14 FIFA/OC Welcome Events in Sydney, Auckland, Abuja, London, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Malabo, Mexico City, Ottawa, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Washington and Pyongyang.
OC President Jones also had the pleasure of meeting various famous faces from Planet Football, including Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Jens Lehmann (German), Jan-Age Fjortoft (Norway), Patrick Anderson (Sweden), Henri Michel (Equatorial Guinea), Pavel Pardo (Mexico), Zico (Brazil), Carlos Alberto (Brazil), Carlos Valderrama (Colombia), Mia Hamm (USA) and Kristine Lilly (USA). She was also greeted by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and First Lady Margarita Zavala, as well Canadian equivalent Laureen Harper.
“In spite of all the excitement, we still have a loose end to tie up as we were unable to make our appointment in Tokyo due to the catastrophic recent events in Japan. It’s a matter of great importance to us to prepare a fitting welcome for the Japanese team ready for their arrival in Germany,” added Jones.
OC President Steffi Jones took the opportunity to congratulate the Korea DPR football family on their qualification and extend a personal invitation to Germany 2011.
The Welcome Event was the first of its kind to take place in the 63-year history of Korea DPR. Exciting times are ahead as the world prepares for the upcoming games in July.