At the press conference held two days before the 2009 IAAF Zagreb Grand Prix, Milan Bandic, Mayor of Zagreb, announced another present for athletics fans. One of the best athletes of all times – Sergey Bubka – will be his guest on Monday, the day of the Meeting. Extreme efforts were made to bring the man, who brought the pole vault to another dimension unattainable for others, to say hello to the citizens of Zagreb and all the participants of the Zagreb Grand Prix.

„Besides our mega-star Blanka Vlasic, it is my extreme honour to also host such a prominent figure, who laid the pole aside but is still great. Sergey Bubka was the first pole vaulted who cleared 6 metres, he is still the world record holder. He has been awarded the world's best track and field athlete and the best athlete in general. Today, he is Vice-President of the IAAF, President of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, IOC member and our dear guest“, said Mayor Milan Bandic.