Inside Track - European Athletic Association

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Newsletter of
European Athletics
1 / 10 | JULY
INSIDE TRACK
THE STAGE
IS SET

IMPRESSUM
European Athletics
Association Européenne
d’Athlétisme
President:
Hansjörg Wirz
Vice Presidents:
Jose Luis de Carlos,
Svein Arne Hansen
Treasurer: Karel Pilny
Director General:
Christian Milz
Offi ce:
Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18
CH-1003 Lausanne
Switzerland
Phone +41 (0)21 313 43 50
Fax +41 (0)21 313 43 51
offi ce@european-athletics.org
www.european-athletics.org
“Inside Track” is published by
European Athletics
Co-ordination:
James Mulligan
Aditya Kumar
European Athletics
Communication Department
Phone +41 (0)21 313 43 57
media@european-athletics.org
Text, Photos:
James Mulligan, Aditya
Kumar, Bill Glad, Phil Minshull,
Hansjörg Wirz, Christian Milz,
Peter Stafford, Andy Heading,
Picture Alliance
Design, Production:
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und Kommunikation
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Cover page
The stage is set for the
2010 European Athletics
Championships in Barcelona
between 26 July and 1
August.
2 www.european-athletics.org
WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
Eyes of the world
turn towards Barcelona
Hansjörg Wirz | President, European Athletics
I write this with a growing sense of excitement and anticipation just a few days before
the start of the 20th European Athletics Championships in Barcelona – the pinnacle of
the European Athletics competition programme.
The championships are very important for our movement. It is the shop window for
athletics in Europe, when established and new stars of our sport have the chance to
shine on the continental stage, and it is when our sport reaches its largest audience.
The eyes of Europe – and the world – will be trained on Barcelona between 26 July and
1 August, with the event attracting a huge amount of interest from media, sponsors and
the public.
Indeed, the value of this high-quality event cannot be underestimated – not least in terms
of what it brings to the host city.
Our belief is for these championships to be fully integrated within the city so that the
event doesn’t begin and end as one enters and leaves the stadium. With this in mind, I
am very much looking forward to being in Barcelona for such a special event that will
be celebrated throughout this famous city. The opening ceremony, which will showcase
local identity, arts and culture, will take place in front of Barcelona’s Font Magic on
Avenida María Cristina. And for the fi rst time in the history of the European Athletics
Championships, the Marathon and Race Walk events will be entirely held in the city
centre.
2 WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
• Eyes of the world turn
towards Barcelona
4 BARCELONA 2010
• Barcelona opens its arms to the rest
of Europe
• Blasts from the past
• Internet Initiatives
• A Trip down memory lane
• Meet ‘Team European Athletics’
12 HELSINKI 2012
• Helsinki 2012 – let the new tradition
begin
14 ECH 2014 AND BEYOND
• Long-term planning paving way for
successful future events
15 EVENT REVIEW
• Russia returns to number one
17 SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT
• European Athletics and B10 take
responsibilities seriously
18 YOUNG LEADERS FORUM
AND ONLINE COMMUNITY
• Looking for the future leaders
This will mean that the whole of Barcelona
can be a part of the championships. Of
course, staging the championships is a
great logistical challenge and I extend
my thanks to the B10 local organising
committee under the leadership of
José Maria Odriozola and the general
coordination of Monica Barra and the
European Athletics staff members, who
have all worked so hard to make the event
a success.
An important measure of success is to
have a full stadium every day. Ticket sales
for Barcelona 2010 have been increasing
in the lead-up to the event and we are
confi dent that large and enthusiastic
crowds will cheer the athletes on every
day.
There has been a strong demand,
meanwhile, for sponsorship packages
for the event. Several important National
Partners and Suppliers have been
signed up, while European Athletics’
main International Sponsor SPAR and
International Partners OMEGA, EPSON,
LE GRUYÈRE and INTERSPORT will
have a high-profi le presence during the
event.
Three weeks before the start of proceedings,
46 television channels had expressed their
intention to broadcast the event with about
1,000 hours of coverage planned over
the six days of competition, with some
major broadcasters still to express their
intentions. Television is the gateway for
our sport to a wide audience of existing
20 DEVELOPMENT
• EU athletics projects making
progress
21 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
• European Athletics building
Premium and Classic Meetings brand
22 DIRECTOR GENERAL’S STATE
OF SPORT
• Making athletics “Your Sport for
Life“ for future generations
24 2010 AWARDS NIGHT
• Time to honour the best of
European athletics
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

and potential new fans and I am happy
to say that our long-standing partnership
with the European Broadcasting Union,
which has been of the utmost importance
in ensuring excellent coverage of our
events across Europe since 1981, is set to
continue.
With all these important elements in
place, I am sure that the European
Athletics Championships in Barcelona
will be a memorable occasion and that the
spectators in the stadium and the millions
of TV viewers across the continent and
around the world will enjoy watching
Europe’s best athletes battle to become
European champions.
The excitement of Barcelona will have
barely died down before expectations rise
once more, this time for the 2012 European
Athletics Championships in Helsinki.
This will be the beginning of our fl agship
event following a two-year cycle. This is a
necessary change from the four-year cycle
– not least as an answer to the changing
habits and expectations of society.
The switch is certain to increase the
championships’ visibility, take advantage
of the intense interest in athletics during
the Olympic years and add momentum
to the sport ahead of the Games, and
increase the number of European
champions – thus providing inspiration to
a great number of Europeans, particularly
young Europeans.
Helsinki is the perfect candidate to
organise our main championships in an
European Athletics thanks its valued
International Sponsors and Partners
present during Barcelona 2010
WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT
Olympic year as it switches from the four-year cycle. It will be the third time the Finnish
city will host the event after 1971 and 1994. Let us not forget that the city also hosted the
IAAF World Championships in 1983 and 1995. The 2005 World Championships was a
fantastic success and Helsinki is very capable in organising large-scale events.
It was a near-unanimous decision during the European Athletics Congress in Cannes
in 2007 when 47 Member Federations out of 50 accepted the integration of a second
European Athletics Championships into our four-year competition programme. This
overwhelming consensus shows the support our Member Federations have for the
championships every two years.
Of course, there are challenges that need to be addressed but the European Athletics
Championships will integrate successfully into the Olympic year and be an important
competition in the schedule.
I am sure that once Helsinki takes the baton from our friends in Barcelona following a
fantastic championships this summer they are sure to provide us with a successful new
chapter in the history of European Athletics in 2012.
For now, though, our attention is 100 percent with Barcelona. I hope you enjoy the
spectacle as much as I will.
European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz and Jordi Hereu, the mayor of Barcelona (5th and 7th from the
left), are joined by some of the key members of the Local Organising Committee of the European Athletics
Championships during the inauguration of the “world’s fastest track” – the Mondotrack FTX – at the Olympic
Stadium in Barcelona.
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 3

4
www.european-athletics.org
EVENT PREVIEW
Barcelona opens its arms
to the rest of Europe
From the magnifi cent opening ceremony of the European Athletics
Championships Barcelona 2010, which will be held by the Font Màgica de
Montjuïc on the evening of July 26, until the event closes six days later on
August 1, spectacular is a word that will be used frequently.
Spectacular, because the fantastically
picturesque setting of the championships
could leave visitors to the Catalan city,
especially those who have never been
before, gasping in astonishment.
Spectacular, because the feats by the
athletes in the Olympic stadium - which is
sometimes known by its offi cial title Estadi
Olímpic de Montjuïc Lluís Companys
- during the six days of action should
match their surroundings and evoke a
similar response among spectators in the
stadium or in front of their TV screens,
and not just in Europe but all around the
world.
This year’s European Athletics
Championships will be a milestone in
Spanish history.
The country has staged many magnifi cent
sporting occasions, including the 1992
Olympic Games in Barcelona, but never before have these
championships been staged in Spain.
History tells us that championships records will be broken during
the six days of competition, and perhaps even European records
will be set, although it’s obviously impossible to say which ones
will fall.
Around 1,500 athletes from European Athletics’ 50 Member
Federations will take part in the 20th edition of the championships,
which were inaugurated in 1934.
For many competitors, they will be the embodiment of the
famous saying by Olympic Games founder Pierre de Coubertin,
“The important thing in life is not victory but combat; it is not to
have vanquished but to have fought well.”
However, for others, only standing on top of the podium or
getting a medal will suffi ce.
European athletes won 37% of the medals at last summer’s
World Championships in Berlin and 14 men and women were
crowned as world champions.
The vast majority of those medallists and
winners from 12 months ago will also
be present in Barcelona, putting their
reputations on the line.
“I am aiming to win the gold at the
Europeans. It would be foolish of me
to think anything other than that,”
commented Great Britain’s 400m hurdler
David Greene recently.
The Welshman was a World Championships
fi nalist and the fastest man over the
barriers in 2009 and he has maintained
his place at the top of the rankings this
summer, including winning at the SPAR
European Team Championships last
month to become the favourite for his
event in Barcelona.
His ambitious words and commitment are
typical of those who currently reside in the
top echelon of the continent’s athletes.
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

Inevitably over a four-year cycle of the
European Athletics Championships, some
famous names will retire and others, like
Greene, will emerge to take their place.
However, Barcelona will also welcome
several athletes who have shown their
competitive mettle over an even longer
period.
Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu (100m),
France’s Mehdi Baala (1500m), Sweden’s
Christian Olsson (Triple Jump) and
the Czech Republic’s Roman Šebrle
(Decathlon) all won their fi rst European
title in 2002, defended it four years later,
and the quartet are expected to be in the
hunt for their third consecutive titles.
Another type of hat trick will be sought
by the Norwegian Javelin thrower Andreas
Thorkildsen and the Russian walkers Valery
Borchin and Olga Kaniskina.
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics
They will be seeking to hold the Olympic,
European and world titles simultaneously
in the same event, the only three athletes
in Barcelona that can achieve that honour,
and one that Thorkildsen already has to
his name after winning four years ago in
Göteborg.
Borchin and Kaniskina will be part of a very
strong Russian team that was the most
successful nation four years ago when
they got 34 medals, 12 of them gold.
Russia showed only last month that the
country’s athletes, coaches and offi cials
have not let their guard drop by winning
the SPAR European Team Championships
by a big margin.
However, although thousands of fans will
fl ock from all corners of Europe to the
Mediterranean, there will also be a huge
contingent of local supporters in Barcelona
EVENT PREVIEW
which will help give the championships a distinctly Spanish and
also Catalan fl avour.
Riding on the crest of a wave of success for Spain on other sports
in recent years, expectations are high, but there is optimism that
the host country can equal or better its record 15 medals won in
Munich eight years ago.
One Spanish personality who has already made his mark though,
is the championships mascot Barni.
Barni has become a familiar face across the length and breadth
of Spain and Europe, meeting and greeting some of the most
famous names within athletics and in many other sports as he
has tirelessly promoted the event.
Tennis player Rafa Nadal, Argentine football star Lionel Messi and
a myriad of athletics’ defending world and European champions
are just some of the people he has embraced on his travels since
the start of 2008.
There will be many more welcomed into his arms during the
championships.
www.european-athletics.org
5

6
www.european-athletics.org
CHAMPIONSHIP MILESTONES
Blasts from the past
The 76-year story of the European Athletics
Championships refl ects the history of
Europe itself. The competition has been
a witness to a paradigm shift Europe has
been through in the last century. Be it the
shadows cast by war, the unmistakable
marks left by the changing position of
Luigi Beccali
Torino 1934
Luigi Beccali delighted the home fans by
winning the 1500m to become the sport’s
fi rst ever European champion. Germany
and Finland dominated the 1st European
Athletics Championships in which 23
countries participated. Torino also saw the
fi rst world record at the European Athletics
Championships when Matti Järvinen (FIN)
won the Javelin with a throw of 76.66m.
Oslo 1946
The Netherland’s Francina “Fanny” Elsje
Blankers-Koen started her collection
of numerous titles by winning the 80m
hurdles in Oslo. Nicknamed ‘the Flying
Housewife’, Koen went on to win four
Olympic titles, fi ve European titles and 58
Dutch championships, and set or tied 12
world records.
Budapest 1966
One of the most dominating athletes of
all time, Irena Szewiñska of Poland won
three gold medals (200m, Long Jump
women in society, the expansion of the
notion of what it means to be “European”
and of course a number of great sporting
performances, one can see traces of these
when you go through the history of the
European Athletics Championships. But,
most of all, a look back at the history
Francina “Fanny” Elsje Blankers-Koen
and 4X100m relay) and one silver (100m). By the European
championships in Prague in 1978 she had increased her total of
European championships medals to a record-breaking 10; she
won seven medals, among them three gold, at four Olympic
Games.
Prague 1978
Four world records were registered in the women’s events
during the championships. East Germany’s Marita Koch took the
women’s 400m taking the discipline to an all together new level
after she ran the fi rst sub 49 second performance for one lap
(48.94). High jumper Sara Simeoni (ITA) had to equal her own
world record of 2.01m to win over Rosemarie Ackermann (GDR).
Tatyana Zelentsova (USSR) ran 54.89 to break the 400m hurdles
world record and the fourth record was delivered by long jumper
Vilma Bardauskiene (USSR), who jumped 7.09m in the qualifying
round for the record and won the fi nal with a superb 6.88m.
Athens 1982
In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the championships
Germany’s Hans-Peter Ferner defeated the then world record
holder Sebastian Coe of Great Britain in the men’s 800m race.
Briton Daley Thomson won his fi rst European title with a new
world record of 8744 points, adding 21 points to the previous
Decathlon record of Jürgen Hingsen (FRG) who came second.
of the event reveals the ever-growing
popularity of European Athletics.
Here are some of the milestones that
have been integral to the making of
the championships:
Hans-Peter Ferner
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

Paula Radcliffe
Stuttgart 1986
Four world and two European records
highlighted the championships. East
Germany’s Heike Drechsler equalled the
existing 200m world record with 21.71
and Marina Stepanova (USSR) lowered
the existing 400m hurdles world record of
Sabine Busch (GDR) to 53.32 by beating
her into second place. Fatima Whitbread
(GBR) set a Javelin world record (77.44m)
in her qualifi cation group while Sebastian
Coe (GBR) eventually won a European
title, beating off team mates Tom McKean
and Steve Cram.
Sergey Bubka (USSR) defeated his elder
brother Vasiliy to win the gold medal in
the Pole Vault.
Split 1990
The French 4x100m relay team of Max
Morinière, Daniel Sangouma, Jean-
Charles Trouabal, Bruno Marie-Rose
created a sensation breaking the six-yearold
world record set by the US team at the
CHAMPIONSHIP MILESTONES
Carolina Klüft
1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles with
37.79.
Helsinki 1994
Sonia O’Sullivan won the fi rst ever Irish
gold medal in a running event in the
3000m. Spain’s Marathon men Martin
Fiz, Diego Garcia and Alberto Juzdado
completed a clean sweep winning
the gold, silver and bronze medal
respectively.
Budapest 1998
Christine Arron of France won the 100m,
setting a new European record of 10.73
in the process, while Ireland’s Sonia
O’Sullivan dominated both the 5000m
and the 10000m. With jumps of 7.16m
in the second and third round, Heike
Drechsler (GER) won the Long Jump for
the fourth consecutive time. Three British
athletes broke championship records to
win gold medals: Darren Campbell in the
100m (10.04); Jonathan Edwards in the
Triple Jump (17.99m); Steve Backley (GBR)
in the Javelin in both the qualifying round (87.45m) and in the
fi nal (89.72m).
Munich 2002
Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe led the 10000m from the start
and, amid torrential rain, set a new European record of 30:01.09.
Steve Backley won the Javelin (88.54m) and became the fi rst
British athlete in history to achieve four consecutive European
gold medals. There was a historic dead heat in the men’s 1500m
when France’s Mehdi Baala and Spain Reyes Estevez had to share
the gold medal. 19-year-old Caroline Klüft (SWE) enthralled the
crowd by setting a new world junior record in the Heptathlon,
beating two-time European champion Sabine Braun (GER).
Göteborg 2006
Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu added the European title to his
Olympic Games silver medal in Athens. The 27-year-old kicked
off at a brilliant pace to win the 100m in 9.99 seconds and
completed the sprinters’ double taking the 200m title with
a national record of 20.01. Home stars Carolina Klüft and
Christian Olsson withstood the pressure of expectations and
produced dominating performances to take the gold medal in
Heptathlon and Triple Jump respectively.
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org
7

8
INTERNET INITIATIVES
European Athletics
Championships to offer rich
multimedia experience
The 20th European Athletics
Championships, to be held
between 26 July and 1 August
in Barcelona, is poised to offer
an experience that athletics
fans will fondly remember
for years to come. The historic
Olympic Stadium that hosted
the Summer Games in 1992
is ready to host the best
athletes from across Europe.
www.european-athletics.org
Special care has been taken to ensure that
every spectator, whether in the stadium
or following the event on TV or online,
experiences every bit of the action as it
unfolds. A brand new webpage dedicated
to Barcelona 2010 has been launched
on our website www.european-athletics.
org. The coverage will include daily
reports, event-by-event updates, special
features on the gold medal winners, live
results, photo gallery and much more.
One can also keep tabs on all the action
by following us on social networking sites
Facebook and Twitter or sharing sites
YouTube and Flickr.
Courtesy of our long-standing partnership with the European
Broadcasting Union, the championships will be streamed live on
www.eurovision.net. Besides, athletics fans can also catch daily
highlights and behind the scene action on a dedicated video
channel on the European Athletics website.
Audio interviews of athletes will be uploaded as they happen
throughout the event. End-of-the-day audio wraps will also be
available on www.european-athletics.org.
At European Athletics we understand the value supporters bring
to our sport. As the governing body of athletics on the continent,
it is our priority to facilitate this symbiotic relationship of athletes
and fans. For an athlete there is no bigger motivation than
thousands of cheering fans in a stadium and, for a fan there is no
bigger sight than seeing his or her favourite star in action.
We hope that athletics supporters will enjoy the European
Athletics Championships. Once again, we look forward to your
valued feedback.
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

A trip down
memory lane
European Athletics relives the journey of the European
Athletics Championships through the posters of the event
which came into being as an initiative of the International
Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) European
Committee in 1933.
CHAMPIONSHIP POSTERS
The inaugural edition of the European Athletics Championships
were held in the Italian city of Torino in 1934 and ever since
the championships was held been organised every four years,
albeit with a few exceptions such as an like an eight-year break
between 1938 and 1946 due to the Second World War and the
championships of 1969 and 1971 when they were held in odd
years for the fi rst time.
The championships are set to enter a new ear with the introduction
of a two-year circle for the event. For the fi rst the European
Athletics Championships will be organised in an Olympic year in
the Finnish capital of Helsinki in 2012.
Missing posters:
1934 Torino, 1938 (Men) Paris,
1938 (Women) Vienna, 1950 Brussels
INSIDE IN TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European n Athletics AAthletics
www.european-athletics.org 9

Meet ‘Team
European
Athletics’ Hello,
Here’s a quick introduction to the European
Athletics team who will be in Barcelona and
the inside track on what they are looking
forward to the most during the European
Athletics Championships – the biggest
athletics event of the year.
10 www.european-athletics.org
STAFF
my name is ... Christian Milz
I’m from ... Switzerland
My job is ... Director General
My favourite athlete is ... each athlete
who shows an outstanding performance
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... Decathlon and Heptathlon that
will crown the genuine King and Queen of
athletics in Europe
My favourite things about Barcelona
are … the Olympic Stadium, El Boqueria,
Gaudi, Iniesta and Adrià
Hello, my name is ... Lars Kaiser
I’m from ... Germany
My job is ... Sales & Marketing Manager
My favourite athlete is ... Heike
Drechsler
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... the women’s High Jump and the
relays
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... the song of the B10 TV advert,
sunshine, and beaches!
Hello, my name is ... Ede Rutkovszky
I’m from ... Hungary
My job is ... Competition Consultant
My favourite athlete is ... I don’t have a
real favourite at the moment but I hope that
all athletes give their best and achieve good
results, especially the ones from Hungary
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... the fi nals of the 100m in both
genders and the men’s Javelin throw
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... the football club of the city and the
beaches
Hello, my name is ... Christiane Maillard
I’m from ... Switzerland
My job is ... Corporate Services Manager
My favourite athlete is … the rising star
Christophe Lemaître
The event I’m most looking forward
to is ... the 100m
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... the tapas!
Hello, my name is ... Marcel Wakim
I’m from ... Germany
My job is ... Competition Manager
My favourite athlete is ... Manuel
Martinez
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... the men’s middle distance races
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... the food, the people and FC
Barcelona (basketball!)
Hello, my name is ... Peter Stafford
I’m from ... Ireland
My job is ... Projects Consultant
My favourite athlete is ... David Gillick
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... sprints and relays
My favourite thing about Barcelona is
... sampling some of the well renowned
party venues throughout the city
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

Hello, my name is ... James Mulligan
I’m from ... England
My job is ... Communication Manager
My favourite athlete is ... Phillips
Idowu
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... the relays.
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... the beach parties and watching
Barcelona FC!
Hello, my name is ... Jérôme Parmentier
I’m from ... France
My job is ... Event Manager
My favourite athletes are ... the
decathletes and heptathletes
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... the 100m/110m hurdles
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... the food, the weather and running
along the beach!
Hello, my name is ... Bill Glad
I’m from ... USA
My job is ... Development Manager
My favourite athlete is ... no one in
particular
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... all of them
My favourite thing about Barcelona is
... B10!
Hello, my name is ... Christelle Bezençon
I’m from ... Switzerland
My job is ... Event Consultant
My favourite athlete is ... Yelena
Isinbayeva
The event I’m most looking forward
to is ... the Pole Vault
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... the famous tapas, Parc Güell and
the nice weather!
Hello, my name is ... Aditya Kumar
I’m from ... India
My job is ... Communication Consultant
My favourite athletes are ... Ariane
Friedrich and Tomasz Majewski
The events I’m most looking forward
to are ... High Jump and Shot Put
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... Gaudi and the vibrancy of the city
Hello, my name is ... Sandrine Glacier
I’m from ... France
My job is ... Competition Consultant
My favourite athlete is ... Romain
Mesnil
The event I’m most looking forward
to is ... Pole Vault
My favourite things about Barcelona
are ... Lionel Messi, beaches and tapas.
STAFF
Hello, my name is … Maaike Mayor
I’m from … Switzerland and the
Netherlands
My job is … Administrative Coordinator
My favourite athlete is … Karoline
Bjerkli Grøvdal
The event I’m most looking forward
to is … the Long Jump
My favourite things about Barcelona
are … Parc Güell, La Rambla and nice
food
Hello, my name is … Bernadette Brun
Brenger
I’m from … France
My job is … Senior Event Consultant
My favourite athlete is … Carolina Klüft
The events I’m most looking forward
to are … the relays
My favourite thing about Barcelona is
… the way of life
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12 www.european-athletics.org
HELSINKI 2012
Helsinki, one of only four cities in the
world to have hosted the Olympic Games,
the IAAF World Athletics Championships
and European Athletics Championships,
is up for a new challenge in 2012. The
legendary Helsinki Olympic Stadium will
be at the heart of the launch of a new
tradition as it hosts the inaugural Olympic
year European Athletics Championships.
“Once again it is for Helsinki to offer
something unique to athletics. We
hosted the fi rst edition of IAAF World
Championships in 1983, and installed
a brand new event presentation system
during the 10th IAAF World Athletics
Championships in 2005. Now we are
working hard to create a fresh, modern
and fascinating start for the new format
of European Athletics Championships in
2012,” said Antti Pihlakoski, the president
HELSINKI 2012 –
LET THE NEW TRADI
of the Local Organising Committee for
Helsinki 2012 and also a member of the
European Athletics Council.
The organisers strongly believe that the
athletics scene on the continent is now
going through a decisive moment.
“Based on the distribution of medals at the
Olympic Games and World Championships,
one can see that European athletics has
been going through a period of decline
the last decade. European countries share
a common responsibility of developing
our sport through the new format of
European Athletics Championships,” said
Pihlakoski.
“It is crucial for athletics in Europe that
all the European countries send their best
athletes to Helsinki,” he added.
Mr. Esa Honkalehto, General Secretary of
the Helsinki 2012 LOC, underlined that
the European Athletics Championships
will add value to the Olympic Games.
“During ordinary seasons all the best
European athletes are prepared to compete
in European Team Championships in late
June. In 2012, there will be no European
Team Championships and just the
European Athletics Championships, so it
won’t cause extra stress for the athletes.
“Furthermore, only the very best European
athletes will qualify for the Olympics. For
the rest, Helsinki 2012 will be the most
important competition of the season. And
for the Olympic qualifi ers, what would be
a better way to fi nd peak form than having
a quality international competition before
the Olympic Games,” said Honkalehto.
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

TION BEGIN
Finnish athletics heritage
Athletics is one of the most traditional and popular sports in
Finland. It is the biggest individual sport in the country and in the
top three among all sports. The fi nal of the men’s Javelin throw
in major championships is regularly one of the most watched TV
programs of the year, gathering an unbelievable 40-50% of Finns
in front of TV screens.
“During the last 50 years we have hosted fi ve major athletics
championships at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, and every time
the tickets have been sold out. Finnish people love athletics and
there are no two words about it,” said Pihlakoski.
To strengthen the popularity of athletics, the LOC plans to
organise a multi-dimensional athletics festival on the sidelines of
the European Athletics Championships.
“We are planning to organise an international youth event that
will encompass both competitions and education. In addition it
will have competitions for disabled athletes, and a mass sport
HELSINKI FACTS
European Athletics Championships 27.6.2012–
1.7.2012 at Helsinki Olympic Stadium
New concept of 5 competition days including 4
exciting evening sessions with fi nals
50 countries participating
Around 1,500 athletes
160,000 spectators
1,000 volunteers
HELSINKI 2012
event for everyone interested in athletics,”
he said.
“This is how we get people from all walks
of life involved in the European Athletics
Championships.”
An unforgettable experience
for athletes and fans
The championships will offer a unique
experience for the participating athletes
and fans in the tribunes of the Olympic
Stadium.
“We will offer short commuting distances,
clean and safe environment, and punctual
organisation that will accord highest
priority to ensuring comfort for athletes.
For fans we have developed a high quality
One of the most followed sporting
event in Europe
Televised in 40-50 countries
approx. 300 million TV viewers (news
excluded)
Around 1,800 media representatives
from 45-50 countries
event presentation system that together
with the facilities at the renovated Olympic
Stadium will offer perfect surroundings for
relishing athletics,” Pihlakoski promised.
Pihlakoski fi rmly believes that Finland
will host a world-class event and an
unforgettable athletics festival.
“We will do our job with quality, style and
great passion for athletics. We are ready
to start a new tradition that will be on
par with the best sporting events in the
world. This is a golden opportunity for all
European nations to put athletics back to
the place where it belongs – in the hearts
and minds of the people of Europe,” said
Pihlakoski.
By Mika Noronen
Added value for Finland:
approximately €30m
Approx €10m income through taxes
for Finland and the city of Helsinki
Added employment opportunities for
the inhabitants of Helsinki region
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 13

14 www.european-athletics.org
ECH 2014 AND BEYOND
A toast to Zurich’s successful bid for the 2014 European Athletics Championships
Long-term planning paving way
for successful future events
Zurich became the fi rst city
to get the rights to host
the European Athletics
Championships in 2014 under
European Athletics’ new
long-term planning system for
event allocation introduced in
2009.
The process generated strong interest among Member
Federations in hosting European Athletics’ fl agship events up to
and including 2018.
The Member Federations were requested to submit their plans
for the hosting of events over an eight-year period with the goal
of allowing them to think well in advance for hosting European
Athletics events.
“I am very pleased that the vast majority of our Member
Federations supported this endeavour by informing us of their
future bidding intentions,” said European Athletics President
Hansjörg Wirz. “This long-term planning allows European
Athletics and potential candidates a clear vision of the allocation
of future events, while ensuring that facilities within Europe are
used in a proper way and benefi tting public bodies that have
fi nanced the facilities.”
This way European Athletics is also able to give orientation
among interested parties and react well in advance if there
are no serious and qualifi ed potential candidates interested in
hosting a particular event – avoiding the disappointment and
frustration of Member Federations and cities who may not be
successful in bidding for a certain event.
The European Athletics Bidding Manual for events has also been
updated to provide a more comprehensive document to assist
Member Federations in their applications, and in addition the
concept of the bidding seminars that Member Federations must
attend as part of the regulations for top events was changed
to make it more of a promotional tool to gain support of the
cities.
The timelines for the different stages
of the bidding process have now been
formalised and communicated, providing
the bidding cities with enough time
and support to deliver comprehensive
applications.
The fi rst restructured seminar took place
at the end of 2009, when the city of
Zurich took its fi rst steps in preparing
its bid for the 2014 championships that
proved successful at the end of the
bidding process in May 2010.
Given the eight-year scope of the
questionnaire, an exclusive candidature
preparation day has been planned
during the 2010 European Athletics
Championships in Barcelona for Member
Federations that have indicated an
interest in hosting the European Athletics
Championships of 2016 and 2018 and
the 2015 and 2017 European Athletics
Indoor Championships. This will give a
unique insight into the organisation and
delivery of these major championships.
For more information regarding the longterm
planning for events, please contact
European Athletics Projects Consultant
Peter Stafford at:
peter.stafford@european-athletics.org
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

Russia and European Athletics were the big winners at the second
edition of the SPAR European Team Championships.
Russia returns to number one
Russia emphatically won the 2010 SPAR European Team
Championships with a huge score of 379.5 points across the two
days in Bergen, Norway, winning by a massive margin of 62.5
points.
In the world’s premier athletics competition between countries,
Russia consequently came out top of the rankings which
embraces all 50 of European Athletics’ Member Federations and
were crowned as Europe’s top athletics nation.
“The unpredictability of a team’s performance, the national pride
felt and shown as countries compete against their rivals, and the
drama of the revamped regulations made for compelling viewing
throughout the weekend,” said European Athletics President
Hansjörg Wirz, refl ecting on the innovative competition that
has men and women competing as one team, promotion and
relegation battles between the four leagues, and a table that
ranks countries from fi rst to 50th.
EVENT REVIEW
Russia won 13 events out of the 40
contested in Bergen but another crucial
factor in their success was the all round
consistence of the squad with top three
fi nishes in 25 disciplines.
The Russian women were particularly big
contributors of points with only three
athletes failing to get on the podium
Great Britain fi nished second with 317
points while the 2009 champions Germany,
after a poor fi rst day when they languished
back in seventh place, rallied on the Sunday
to fi nish third with 304.5 points.
Russia made an early start in their bid for
supremacy and took the lead after just the
sixth event on Saturday. They were never
headed for the rest of the weekend.
The avalanche of victories started when
Russian team captain and former Pole
Vault world record holder Svetlana
Feofanova won her specialist event with
4.65m and Yelena Zadorozhnaya quickly
followed in her footsteps with maximum
points in the women’s 3000m.
Alexandr Shustov and Pavel Shulin took
the men’s High Jump and Long Jump
respectively – the latter jumping a windassisted
8.26m – Kseniya Ustalova and
Nataliya Antyukh won the women’s 400m
and 400m hurdles, while Yuliya Zarudneva
produced a brilliant solo gun-to-tape
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 15

16
effort to take the honours in the women’s
3000m steeplechase.
Russia’s women’s 4x100m team, the 2008
Olympic Games gold medallists, then took
fi rst place in the penultimate event of the
fi rst day, winning in a European-leading
42.98.
Building on their eight victories on
Saturday, Russia added another fi ve wins
on the second day.
The 2004 Olympic Games 800m gold
medallist Yuriy Borzakovskiy had delayed
his 2010 outdoor debut over two laps of
the track until he arrived in Bergen but
produced a confi dent victory in 1:45.41.
Barely had people had time to draw
breath after Borzakovskiy’s audacious run
from the front before Tatyana Dektyareva
went to her marks for the next event of
the track and sped to a European-leading
100m hurdles time of 12.68.
Anna Avdeyeva later won the Shot Put to
add another 12 points to the Russian total
before their 4x400m Relay teams fi nished
off the weekend in fi ne style.
The women’s 4x400m relay team delivered
the expected victory in the penultimate
event of the championships. With Antyukh
and Ustalova on the last two legs, a win
was highly likely but the quartet still
showed their class by clocking a worldleading
3:23.76
Inspired by their women’s performance, the
men’s 4x400m team brought the curtain
down at the championships in impressive
fashion by winning in 3:01.72.
Among the other highlights over the
weekend was Dwain Chambers’ 100m in
9.99, the Briton blasting his way down the
track at Fana Stadium to become the fi rst
European under the 10-second barrier this
year.
There was another European-leading mark
in the women’s 200m when Ukrainian
sprinter Yelizaveta Bryzhina produced a
stunning burst of acceleration off the bend
to win in a new personal best of 22.71.
Dramatic upsets were on the agenda as
well.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was delivered
when the Ukraine’s Viktor Kuznetsov
pulled off a shock win in the Triple Jump.
www.european-athletics.org
EVENT REVIEW
His opening jump of 17.26m, a personal
best by three centimetres, was enough
to leave Great Britain’s Phillips Idowu and
France’s in-form Teddy Tamgho, the current
outdoor and indoor world champions
respectively, trailing in his wake.
Germany’s Mattias De Zordo also upset
the form book in the Javelin, throwing
83.80m to leave the host’s hero Andreas
Thorkildsen, still recovering from a slight
groin problem, having to settle for second
place. It was the current Olympic, world
and European champion’s fi rst defeat of the season.
Greece, Norway and Finland occupied the last three places in
Bergen and were relegated. The trio will compete in the First
League next year and will be replaced by the promoted Czech
Republic, Sweden and Portugal, who all bounce straight back
after dropping down a division 12 months ago.
European athletics fans will also have a trip to Scandinavia in their
diaries’ sights again in 12 months time as the Swedish capital
Stockholm will be the venue for the 2011 SPAR European Team
Championships.
Newsletter of European Athletics 1/10 INSIDE TRACK

SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT
European Athletics and B10
take responsibilities seriously
B10 used the European Athletics
Sustainable Sports Event Toolkit
(SSET) – an online “how to” guide for
organisers – to identify ways of reducing
the environmental impact of the 20th
European Athletics Championships.
Sustainability initiatives at the European
Athletics Championships in Barcelona
include a “no paper policy” in the VIP
area. Following suggestions from guests
at previous events, no printed copies of
start lists, results and other information
will be distributed in the VIP area, thereby
saving thousands of sheets of paper and
reducing waste.
There will be extra CIS (Commentator
Information Systems) throughout the VIP
area so that guests are still able to get the
up-to-date information they need to fully
enjoy the competition.
All start lists, results and other information
will be delivered quickly and effi ciently to
journalists in the main press centre and
media tribune – but only on request so as
to further reduce paper waste.
Another initiative will be the sale of
reusable biodegradable cups with a B10
design at public bars and the market
square. The cups will also be available in
the VIP area, and guests can drop the cups
in the recycle containers after use.
Barcelona 2010 will also offer rubbish
separation bins and stadium waste will also
be recycled. Roof water from the stadium
will be used to water the grass. Flyers
and promotion material for the event are
being printed on recyclable paper.
European Athletics and the B10 organising
committee are committed to doing their bit
to make our sport sustainable and reduce its
impact on the environment.
B10, whose initiatives will help change awareness of sustainability
in sports events in Spain, will upload its experiences and
recommendations for future organisers on the SSET website.
European Athletics launched the SSET in 2009. It was codeveloped
with the International Academy of Sports Science and
Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, the International Olympic
Committee and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Organising
Committee.
More than 14 athletics events across Europe have used or
are planning on using the tool, including the 2011 European
Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris and Athletissima, the
IAAF Diamond League meeting in Lausanne.
European Athletics green
logo marks Earth Day 2010
European Athletics launched a new “green” logo in April to
refl ect its commitment to environmental responsibility and
sustainability.
The launch coincided with “Earth Day 2010”, which is
celebrated in more than 175 countries around the world to raise
awareness and appreciation for the earth’s environment.
The classic European Athletics logo with the signature slogan
“Your Sport for Life” in the colour green has been designed to
create a consistent brand identity for sustainability initiatives
developed by the continental governing body.
“This logo underlines our green values and highlights the
sustainability initiative we introduced last year,” said European
Athletics Director General Christian Milz.
“Through our commitment and leadership in this and
other areas such as health, fi tness, education and personal
development, our sport can add to the quality of life for
millions across Europe”.
European Athletics Director General
Christian Milz said, “It’s been gratifying
to see how many events have already
expressed an interest in the SSET, which
we are making available to our partners
free of charge.”
“I believe that in the coming years the SSET
will help to make athletics events across
Europe more sustainable thereby adding
to the already strong positive image our
sport enjoys with the public”.
SSET shortlisted for 2010 Beyond
Sport Award
The SSET project has been named as a
fi nalist in the Sport for the Environment
category for the prestigious 2010
Beyond Sport Awards, which will be
presented in Chicago, USA, 27-30
September.
Beyond Sport is a global organisation
that promotes the use of sport to
drive positive social change across
the world. Shortlisted projects for the
awards were chosen from more than
350 entries spanning 115 countries.
The SSET helps sport organisations
develop practical strategies and
manage their environmental, social and
economic impacts and opportunities.
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 17

Looking
The European Athletics-
UNESCO Young Leaders Forum
will give young volunteers
a taste of the European
Athletics Championships
and a chance to help shape
how the sport engages youth
in the digital age.
It has become a tradition for great
sports events, including the Olympic
Games, to organise camps for young
people alongside their competition
programmes. The 2010 European
Athletics Championships in Barcelona will
take this concept to a new dimension.
The European Athletics-UNESCO Young
Leaders Forum from 26-29 July will see
100 volunteers aged 18-26 selected by
the Member Federations enjoy the unique
atmosphere of the championships in the
evenings after spending the day-time
hours working hard to develop their skills
and fi nd ways for athletics to maintain
and increase its relevance for young
people across Europe.
Organised by European
Athletics, the B10
Organising Committee and
UNESCO (United Nations
Educational, Scientifi c and
Cultural Organization), the
forum is a follow-up to the
successful European Youth
Forum that was staged
in conjunction with the
2006 European Athletics
Championships in Göteborg.
It is also another milestone in
the deepening relationship
between European Athletics
and UNESCO.
18 www.european-athletics.org
YOUNG LEADERS FORUM & ONLINE COMMUNITY
Gabriella Szabo
In addition to the contributions of the organising partners,
the forum has been given fi nancial support by the marketing
agencies ECM2 and Dentsu.
To check out the European Athletics Young Leaders
Community visit www.athleticscommunity.org.
for the futu
“We see this forum as a key element of
European Athletics’ ‘Your Sport for Life’
strategy,” says Director General Christian
Milz. “It is a chance to promote dialogue,
enhance the personal development of the
participants and fi nd out what they want
from athletics.”
“Importantly, we will be working
together with them to create an ongoing
community of young leaders that will
help us deliver the values and practical
benefi ts we can bring to society in areas
such as education, health and physical
fi tness.”
The forum, which takes place at the Instiut
Nacional d’Educació Fisica de Catalunya
(INEFC) just a few hundred metres from
the Olympic Stadium on Barcelona’s
Montjuic, will feature a line-up of big name
speakers from athletics, including Olympic
gold medallists Gabriella Szabo, Sergey
Bubka and Sebastian Coe and world and
European champion Steve Cram, who are
expected to talk about the values for sport,
leadership and personal development.
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

YOUNG LEADERS FORUM & ONLINE COMMUNITY
re leaders
There will also be workshops that focus on the newly launched
European Athletics Young Leaders Community, a social network
website that promotes athletics-oriented community projects.
“The participants will get a chance to shape the community and
develop some IT-based tools for volunteering, improving their
skills and CVs and getting more out of athletics,” says Milz. “It’s
an exciting project that will open up a new way for the sport to
engage with young people and form life-long relationships.”
Prior to their arrival in Barcelona, the participants contributed to
four weekly online discussions, moderated by UNESCO staff, on
the topics to be raised in the forum. They also prepared displays
about athletics in their countries, which will be exhibited in the
INEFC during the forum, and some have even produced videos
about their work in the sport.
For more information on the European Athletics-UNESCO Young
Leaders Forum visit www.european-athletics.org.
Sergey Bubka
Sebastian Coe
UNESCO and European
Athletics
The United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural
Organisation (UNESCO) is the lead agency for sport and
physical education in the United Nations system. In 2006
it signed a unique Memorandum of Understanding with
European Athletics to cooperate on joint projects.
The memorandum recognised the importance of athletics
as a participation sport and for its role in physical education
and for its potential to contribute to the well-being of young
people. UNESCO also recognises that sport – and athletics
in particular - can provide an effective communication
platform for raising public awareness about education and
other issues.
Throughout the relationship UNESCO has enjoyed valuable
visible presence at all major European Athletics events, which
has helped it to promote its messages to the public. The
two organisations have also cooperated on the following
projects:
2006: European Youth Forum, Göteborg, SWE
2007: Promotion of the ratifi cation of the UN Convention
on Doping In Sport
2007: Young Athlete Anti-Doping Education, Hengelo, NED,
and Debrecen, HUN
2009: Young Athlete Anti-Doping Education, Novi Sad, SRB,
and Kaunas, LTU
2010: European Athletics-UNESCO Young Leaders Forum,
Barcelona, ESP
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 19

20 www.european-athletics.org
DEVELOPMENT
EU athletics projects
making progress
The three European Union projects in sport in which European
Athletics is a key partner are well underway, with kick-off
meetings having been held for each of them and partnerships
agreed with the involved Member Federations.
The French athletics federation, leader of
the Athle Santé project for the promotion
of health enhancing physical activity, is
currently working in four main areas:
creating a teaching plan for coaches
about working in the general fi tness
fi eld, training a new group of coaches
specifi cally focused on the health and
fi tness market, developing a series of
health circuits with local authorities and
federations, and organising information
days about health and fi tness.
The FFA is working with counterparts
in Italy, France, Spain, Germany and
Hungary on these topics.
As part of its ‘Bridging the Leadership
Gender Gap in European Athletics’ project,
the Royal Dutch Athletics Federation is
planning to conduct a global survey of
the athletics population in October and
has scheduled a special training seminar
for up to 50 future women’s leaders in
Evian, France, through 4-9 October.
Nine countries so far are included in the
survey plan. Other European Athletics
Member Federations that want their
country to be included in the survey
should contact Development Manager
Bill Glad at:
bill.glad@european-athletics.org.
The EU Offi ce of the European Olympic
Committee, meanwhile, is working with
sports organisations, athletes, businesses
and educational institutions to develop
information on best practice for preparing
athletes for their career post-athletics
by promoting the concept of “dual
careers” through the Athletes2Business
project. They are creating a network and
database of best practice and working
on improving access for athletes to the
labour market. The EOC has arranged
study visits and workshops for athletes
around Europe that will continue till the
end of the year as part of its promotion
of education and training in sport.
European Athletics’ partnership with
these EU funded projects follows the
European Commissions’ fi rst-ever call for
project proposals in the fi eld of sport.
The projects were among just 18 selected
from a total of 207 proposals and are
receiving more than €645,000 euros in
fi nancial support.
Reports on the progress of the projects,
which must be completed by early 2011,
will be featured on the European Athletics
website.
Details of the approved projects are as follows:
Project Leader: Fédération Française d’Athlétisme
Field of Action: Promotion of Health-Enhancing Physical
Activity
Partners: European Athletics and fi ve Member Federations
EU Grant: €230,000
Project Leader: Royal Dutch Athletics Federation (Atletikunie)
Field of Action: Promotion of Gender Equality in Sport
Partners: European Athletics and eight Member Federations
EU Grant: €215,486
Project Leader: EU Offfi ce of the European Olympic
Committees
Field of Action: Promotion of Education and Training in Sport
Partners: European Athletics and ten organisations from
outside athletics
EU Grant: €201,102
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
European Athletics building
Premium and Classic Meetings brand
This year has seen major changes in the structure of elite athletics meetings,
both in Europe and worldwide, thanks to the launch of the IAAF Diamond
League. Europe has a central role as 10 of the 14 Diamond League meetings in
2010 are being held on the continent.
The creation of the Diamond League has
also brought with it greater responsibilities
and opportunities for the continental
federations to develop and enhance
their own series of top level one-day
meetings. European Athletics has been
a historic leader in this respect and has
given recognition to meetings for more
than a decade, with other continental
federations following their example in
more recent times.
In 2006, to provide greater recognition
and visibility, the leading European
Athletics meetings were given the status
of Premium Meetings with the second tier
originally being named Permit Meetings
before being re-branded last year as
Classic Meetings. The 2010 calendar
consists of 11 European Athletics Outdoor
Premium Meetings and 16 European
Athletics Outdoor Classic Meetings.
José Luis de Carlos (pictured), European
Athletics fi rst vice-president, has been
instrumental in helping defi ne how the
Premium Meetings and Classic Meetings
fi t into the new global one-day meeting
structure. The Spaniard, who is also
general director of his country’s athletics
federation, offered his thoughts recently
on what still needs to be done to enhance
the Premium and Classic Meetings brand
even further.
“I’m pleased to see that the IAAF Diamond
League has the same orientation that
we have decided upon for the European
Athletics meetings, the way that 50
per cent of the main championship
programme should be at each meeting so
that there is no overlap between events
and meetings.
“This is a philosophy that we had developed at the European
Athletics Convention in Amsterdam two years ago. Now we have
to work hard to develop and integrate what I call the ‘pyramid’,
that is with the Diamond League at the top, then the IAAF World
Challenge meetings, then the European Athletics Premium and
Classic Meetings.
“We are trying to have the same rules as the IAAF events, although
obviously we can’t be the same as them in terms of prize money,
but having the same kind of rationale with the spread of the
events will provide opportunities for many European athletes that
they didn’t have before.
“In the past, if you were a 100m or 1500m runner, you had
quite a lot of opportunities to compete. It wasn’t the same if
you competed in, let’s say, the women’s 3000m steeplechase
or the men’s Discus. Now, with the new system that has been
adopted by the IAAF and European Athletics meetings, we are
offering more possibilities to Europe’s leading athletes in every
discipline.”
De Carlos also took a look into his crystal ball and outlined
European Athletics’ broad strategy for one-day meetings in the
immediate future.
“Our main goal was to create a coherent system and structure
and to have the top athletes competing at these meetings on a
regular basis.
“Our target now has to be to build up the quality of the individual
meetings themselves. There are many things that we have to try
to do simultaneously but there are three key points that European
Athletics is looking at for the future.
“We have to try to provide fi nancial support for the meetings,
so we are looking for sponsors. I have to be honest and say that
we have been unlucky that the European-wide economic crisis
has happened at a time when we believe that we are getting the
right structure for the European Athletics one-day meetings.
“It has been diffi cult to get sponsorship for the Premium and
Classic Meetings and this is the next challenge. This is an
important way in which we can enhance the image and brand of
European Athletics and support the meetings.
“Secondly, we also have to improve event presentation and get
meeting organisers thinking hard about this issue, which is why
we have planned the fi rst European Athletics seminar for event
presentation (this was scheduled for 24-25 April in Brussels and
is now rescheduled for later this year because of the European
airspace closures following the volcanic eruption in Iceland). We
will have experts in this fi eld there and bring together many of the
Premium and Classic Meeting organisers.
“This is very important as we can show
how the meetings can be more attractive
to TV viewers and local spectators, and
how we can increase the overall quality of
the presentation.
“The themes will include how you can
integrate the meeting programme with
the TV broadcast and we also insist that
meetings are no longer than two hours.
It’s no longer useful to have meetings
that are three or four hours long because
European Athletics meetings are fi ghting
with other sports and other spectacles
for the attention of the TV viewer, who
has many options that were not there a
decade ago.
“Thirdly, we want to have many more
European athletes competing in European
Athletics meetings.
“The rules are now very clear about
this. In each event, no more than three
athletes from any individual countries can
compete. This ensures that, for instance,
there are not 10 runners from Kenya in a
5000m race. Combined with this rule is
another one which states the minimum
number of countries from Europe which
have to be present.
“In the past there has been a perception
that athletes from outside Europe were
steadily increasing at European Athletics
meetings and this, in turn, restricted
opportunities for European athletes. We
want to reverse this trend,” explained De
Carlos.
De Carlos is quietly confi dent that in three
to fi ve years European Athletics will have
a one-day meeting structure in place that
athletes, offi cials and fans alike will be
able to say has gone from being good to
great.
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 21

“Without youth, the rest of athletics
is meaningless. We, in Europe, need
to develop a coherent, co-ordinated
and global strategic approach to youth
development.”
Those were the words of Lord Sebastian
Coe in his keynote address at the fi rst
European Athletics Youth Conference
in December 2008. Back then, in Oslo,
more than 130 representatives from 46
European countries and fi ve countries
outside of Europe discussed youth athletics
and ways the sport can attract and retain
young people.
The conference, entitled ‘Bringing
Athletics to New Generations,’ drew the
largest number of participants ever for a
European Athletics educational activity. In
addition to the Europeans present, there
were also participants from Jamaica, New
Zealand, Singapore, Brazil and Surinam.
22 www.european-athletics.org
DIRECTOR GENERAL’S STATE OF SPORT
Making athletics
‘Your Sport for Life’
for future generations
In his conference introduction in Norway,
European Athletics President Hansjörg
Wirz presented an overview of European
Athletics’ strategy to use the values of
athletics to engage young people and
other target groups in the sport under our
slogan ‘Your Sport for Life’.
This was a signifi cant fi rst step for
European Athletics in taking a leading
role within the sport in creating a unifi ed
approach towards young people.
What needs to be addressed is how to
engage and retain school boys and girls,
students and amateur athletes, and how
to convince parents that athletics is the
sport for their kids.
During and since the inaugural conference,
European Athletics has listened to the
ideas of a lot of young coaches, youth
programme managers at Member
Federations, federation chiefs and young leaders involved in
athletics. We have been encouraged by the quality of their input
and by the enthusiasm of them in facing the challenge of bringing
more and more young people into athletics and retaining them.
We have used this valuable information to help shape our youth
strategy and a priority in 2010 is the implementation of this.
Indeed, we have formed a youth strategy working group to
facilitate this.
Lord Coe has been a strong advocate of taking note of changes in
youth culture and engaging and integrating the next generation
of athletics followers through the use of modern communication
tools such as new media.
The European Athletics-UNESCO Young Leaders Forum in
Barcelona during the European Athletics Championships is one
such initiative that will help us shape how our sport engages youth
in the digital age.
This forum is a key element of European Athletics’ ‘Your Sport
for Life’ strategy – a chance to promote dialogue, enhance the
personal development of the 100 participants from all over
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK

Europe and fi nd out what they want from
athletics.
One of the legacies of the forum will be
an ongoing community of young leaders
that will help us deliver the values and
practical benefi ts we can bring to society
in areas such as education, health and
physical fi tness.
There will be workshops in Barcelona that
focus on the newly launched European
Athletics Young Leaders Community
(www.athleticscommunity.org), a social
network website that promotes athleticsoriented
community projects.
Furthermore, we continue to increase
our presence on social networking sites
such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
We want to make sure information on
our events and our activities is available
DIRECTOR GENERAL’S STATE OF SPORT
on multiple platforms so that a younger
generation used to being able to choose
how and when they engage with sport
has the opportunity to do so.
European Athletics is also looking at
forward-thinking events to increase the
appeal of athletics, not only to different
groups of youngsters but also different
social and professional groups. We
are beginning a feasibility study for a
European Athletics Relay Festival, similar
to the supremely successful Penn Relays
in Philadelphia. It would be fantastic to
see an equivalent event in Europe, with
hundreds of relays involving thousands
of athletes watched by fans packing out
a stadium.
We of course have our European Athletics
Junior Championships and European
Athletics U23 Championships – both
extremely important developmental steps in young athletes’
careers. The next editions in 2011 are in Tallinn, Estonia, and
Ostrava, Czech Republic, respectively.
We continue to innovate. Our competition structure is under
review as part of our youth strategy working group. A survey
has been sent out to Member Federations to evaluate the current
international competition structure for athletes under 18, to
consider changes to the European Athletics programme to add
value in terms of athlete development and to determine the
best way for Member Federations to work within the adopted
system. The European Youth Olympic Trials in Moscow in May
2010 will also be considered within this analysis alongside our
other events.
Innovation in our existing events and also exciting new events are
important, of course, but this must be backed up with a strong
youth strategy – one that includes the engagement of youth of
Europe in ways they understand and can relate to – in order that
we are able to bring athletics to new generations. Indeed, we
continue to work hard towards our mission of making athletics
“Your Sport for Life.”
INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 23

Time to honour
Every year during this prestigious gala
night, a number of awards are presented
to reward the best of European athletics:
The European Athlete of the Year
(men/women)
The European Athletics Rising Star
of the Year (men/women)
The European Athletics Women’s
Leadership Awards (every two
years)
The European Athletics Innovation
Awards (every two years)
European Athletics will shortlist the
nominations for all the categories
mentioned above (this year will be the
turn of the Innovation Awards after the
Women’s Leadership Awards in 2009). The
24 www.european-athletics.org
2010 AWARDS NIGHT
the best of European athletics
After the curtain falls on the European Athletics Championships Barcelona 2010 on 1 August,
it will soon be time to honour the best of European athletics at the European Athletics Awards
Night presented by MONDO during the European Athletics Convention in mid-October. This
time around it is hosted in Belgrade, Serbia.
lists for the athlete awards will be compiled
by selecting the top European athlete in
each event, based largely on performances
at the European Athletics Championships
in Barcelona along with a number of other
European Athletics and IAAF events.
The winners of the European Athlete of
the Year will be decided by votes from the
general public, media, European Athletics
Member Federations and an expert panel,
with the results from each group of voters
counting for one quarter of the athlete’s
fi nal score. Each voter must select their fi ve
preferred athletes and rank them in order
of priority.
After thousands of votes were cast in
2009, Triple Jump world champion Phillips
Idowu of Great Britain and world 3000m
steeplechase champion Marta Domínguez
of Spain emerged as Europe’s fi nest
athletes of the year.
The great honour of being named the
winners of the European Athletics Rising
Star Awards fell to French sprint sensation
Christophe Lemaître and Norway’s middledistance
prodigy Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal.
These awards recognised their spectacular
performances throughout 2009.
All four winners were presented with their
awards by European Athletics President
Hansjörg Wirz at a special European
Athletics Awards Night presented by
MONDO, organised during the European
Athletics Convention in Budapest,
Hungary.
Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK