The week ahead

One of the highlights of the international athletics season takes place this week with the Weltklasse in Zurich - one of the four Golden League meetings - at which international athletes will go through their paces at a packed Letzigrund stadium.

Weather permitting, the meeting is usually good for a few personal best, if not world records. It will be one of the last major athletics face-offs between the stars before they get together next month at the Sydney Olympics.

Travelling further to the east of the country, sports fans on Thursday will be watching how Swiss champions St Gallen fare against Galatasaray of Istanbul, their opponents in the qualifying round of the Champions League.

Few observers expect miracles against the winners of last year’s UEFA cup, but St Gallen supporters have been heartened by the recent arrival of a Brazilian striker, who goes under the name of Didi. He is teaming up with Charles Amoah to make a formidable striking partnership.

Two other headlines worth watching during the course of the week: the Locarno film festival will be drawing to a close towards the weekend, and that means the prizes will be awarded. On a more local note, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party in canton Zurich are going to launch another bid on Tuesday to torpedo the sister city agrement which Zurich has with Kunming in China.

The party has accused the authorities in Zurich of mismanaging the financial relationship with Kunming and of indirectly supporting corruption. The People’s Party is seeking to put a halt to the payments which allow the partnership to continue.

Visitors of a different kind will be arriving in Switzerland on Thursday. One hundred children from Kosovo are coming for a two-week summer holiday free of charge. The invitation is part of a scheme launched by the Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, to lighten the lives of children who have suffered in the Balkans.

swissinfo with agencies