The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix!

Everybody's favorite sports event (besides the Olympics, and the Asian Games), The Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, is back! The field and track event is rated as one of the best events of its kind in the world, even surpassing some of the Golden League events held in Europe.

For those not in the know, the Golden Grand Prix is part of the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) circuit of sponsored events, which means that only athletes ranked in the top 40 are allowed to attend. The event is generally recognized to be the biggest track and field meet in Asia, and should prove to be a pretty exciting competition.

The Golden Grand Prix comes at the end of the track and field season, so we shouldn't expect any world records to be shattered. That said, Olympic gold medalists Usain Bolt and Yelena Isinbayeva are confirmed for the event, along with a number of other Olympians and world track and field stars. If we're lucky, hometown sweetheart Liu Xiang may make an appearance despite his foot injury last year.

The opportunity to see international track and field superstars compete should draw a significant crowd despite the pricey tickets. If you can get two other friends together, the Grand Prix has a buy-two-get-one-free promotion on their website. With such a superstar cast of athletes in town, it would be a shame to miss. After all, it's not every day that international superstar athletes come to Shanghai.

From CityWeekend:

“In the past, if you wanted to watch a real world class track and field competition, you would have to sit in front of the television at two o’clock in the morning,” said Mary Gu, the event’s general manager. “Now it is in your hometown and you can go to the stadium to watch a world class event live.”

We've been waiting for a nice sports event to attend, since we can't get into the Washington Wizards' basketball clinics. And as much as we enjoy a good run, we would much rather kick back, relax with a cold qingdao, and watch someone else do it. Especially someone who's a former Olympian!

When: Sunday, Sept. 20
Where: Shanghai Stadium, No. 666 Tian Yao Qiao Road (上海体育场,天钥桥路666)
Tickets: RMB 60-1380

Find it on the web at Shanghai Golden Grand Prix