The Golden Gala athletics meeting takes place in Rome 11 July and looks set to attract many of the biggest stars of track and field. The meeting is one of six single-day events that are held over the summer and make up the Golden League, a concept introduced in 1998 to unite individual European meetings and attract the biggest names in athletics. The other events are in Oslo, Paris, Berlin, Zurich and Brussels. Competitors who win their individual Golden League discipline (of which there are six mens and six womens) at all six Golden League events are entitled to a share of a hefty $1 million jackpot.

American sprinter Maurice Greene, who has won the 100 m event at the last four Golden Galas, will be attempting to make it five in a row, and Italy's British-born long-jumper Fiona May will be battling for victory with Germany's Heike Drechsler. Also scheduled to compete at Romes Olympic stadium this year is Haile Gebrselassie, the Ethiopian long-distance runner known as the smiling champion, who will run in the 5,000 m race. Moroccos Hicham El Guerrouj, the world record-holder over 1,500 m, 2,000 m and the mile, will race in the 1,500 m event.

Proceedings begin at 16.00 and the last event is scheduled for 22.50. Tickets cost from 2-15 and can be purchased from Orbis in Piazza Esquilino, Ricordi at Via del Corso 506 and Viale Giulio Cesare 88 and Messaggeri Musicali at Via del Corso 473. They can also be bought on-line at www.ticketeria.it. Of every ticket sold, 1 will go to AIDOS, the Associazione Italiana Donne per lo Sviluppo. The meeting will be shown live on RaiTre from 20.45.