Korea successfully staged the 1988 Olympics and the 2002 World Cup Soccer. Now, organizers of the Daegu 2011 World Championships Aug. 27 through Sept. 4 have claimed that Games will be the biggest athletics event in the country’s history. According to Cho Hae-nyoung, co-president of Local Organizing Committee of the Championships, as of August 12, 2,474 athletes from 207 different countries were registered for Worlds, nearly 500 more athletes than Berlin’s in 2009.

To rise to the occasion of this mega event, Daegu has installed a state-of-art Mondo track and field surface at its Stadium, and  recently has completed the athletes and media village, which can accommodate up to 3,500 people. It is located just a five-minute drive from the main stadium and training area.

Perhaps the biggest highlight of this occasion is the men’s 100m dash, in which viewers around the globe will watch the world record holder, 25-year-old Usain Bolt, do battle with his countryman Asafa Powell, the 29-year-old former world record holder who has the fastest 100m time of 9.78secs this season.

The men’s 110m hurdles is also expected to be a thriller with world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba, American Champion David Oliver and Chinese star Liu Xiang competing for the gold medal.

Photographer Rae McFarlane landed in Daegu last week and managed to capture the empty stadium we see here. It seems serene and just perfect place for relaxation., but the world knows that it’s just the calm before the storm. In a week, it will be bustling with excitement when a mighty throng of athletes and fans invade the impressive structure, where many dreams will be realized over 9 days.