ECCC Cross 2009 Bulletin 1 - European Athletics

EUROPEAN CHAMPION CLUBS CUP CROSS COUNTRY
Üsküdar/Istanbul, 1 February 2009
Üsküdar Municipality Sports Club has the pleasure to host the
European Champion Clubs Cup Cross Country on 1 February 2009.
The Club is currently active in five sports categories with a total of
1,500 registered athletes. The women cross country team won two
consecutive national titles in 2007 and 2008, and was second at the
European Champion Clubs Cup in 2008.
The CITY
Istanbul, the only city in the world located on
two continents, is Turkey’s largest city, and its
cultural and economic center. It stands on
the shores of the uniquely beautiful
Bosphorus (Istanbul Bogazi) where the waters
of the Black Sea combine with those of The
sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn.
Istanbul is a province designed to be a
capital and it has been the capital of three
empires which used to dominate the world;
The City of Istanbul has a population of about 12 million people.
The COUNTY
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the Roman Empire (330-395), Byzantine Empire (395-1453), and the
Ottoman Empire (1453-1923). Today, the province houses the
precious remains of these civilizations and stands with all its
glamour and mysticism as a harmonious link between East and
West, past and present, antique and modern.
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul on
the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus, right opposite the heart
of the great city. The county is 36 square kilometers, and home
to about half a million people.
Üsküdar is Istanbul's oldest-established residential suburb and
still fills that role today. It has a more relaxed atmosphere then
the crowded European side of the city, yet is directly opposite
the old city of Eminönü and transport across the Bosphorus is
easy by boat or bridge.
As of October 2008, the central square of Üsküdar is being dug
up for a tunnel under the Bosphorus which will carry an
underground railway.
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The SYMBOL
Used as a lighthouse for centuries, the interior of the tower has
been transformed into a popular café and restaurant, with an
excellent view of the former Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman capital. Private boats
make trips to the tower several times a day.
The AIRPORT
Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IATA code: IST) is connected to all major European cities.
Various international airline companies each have 3 to 6 daily flights. There are currently
1.214 regular direct flights per week from 68 cities, and 870 regular flights with stopovers
from 58 cities; a total of 2.084 flights per week from 126 European cities to Istanbul
Atatürk Airport. Sabiha Gokcen Airport (IATA code: SAW), located in the Asian side of
Istanbul, is an alternative and closer to the hotels, however, receives less traffic. The LOC
is prepared to provide pick up services from both airports. The transfer time to the hotels
is about 70 minutes from Istanbul Atatürk Airport and about 50 minutes from Sabiha
Gokcen Airport.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
Nationals of the following countries do not require visa to enter to Turkey: AND, AZE, BIH,
BUL, CRO, CZE, DEN, EST, FIN, FRA, GEO, GER, GRE, ISL, ISR, ITA, LAT, LIE, LUX, MKD,
MNE, MON, SMR, SUI, SWE.
Nationals of the following countries may obtain sticker type visas upon a certain fee at
the Turkish international border gates (or, may apply to the Turkish Embassies/Consulates
in their countries beforehand): ALB, ARM, AUT, BEL, BLR, CYP, ESP, GBR, HUN, IRL, LTU,
MDA, MLT, NED, NOR, POL, POR, ROM, RUS, SLO, SRB, SVK, UKR.
It is recommended to apply to the Turkish Embassies/Consulates beforehand in order to
avoid loss of time at the border gates.
Those clubs which have a non-European athlete in their teams may ask for assistance
from the contact persons on visa requirements.
LOC CONTACTS
LOC President:
Mr. Mehmet Çakır, Mayor of Üsküdar
pres@uskudar2009.org
The Maiden’s Tower has been the symbol of Üsküdar, and it is the
only monument which stayed from the Byzantinian Era. It has a
history dating back to 2475 BC, founded on the tiny island where
Black Sea and Marmara Sea meets.
LOC General Secretary:
Mr. Mecit Çetinkaya, President of Üsküdar Municipality Sports Club
gensec@uskudar2009.org
LOC Event Coordinator:
Mr. Can Korkmazoglu, Meeting Director
event@uskudar2009.org - Mobile +90 532 414 5195
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ENTRIES
For each race, teams of not more than 8 (eight) athletes can be entered. Not less than
4 (four), nor more than 6 (six) shall be allowed to start in the race of whom 4 (four) will
score.
A Club may only select athletes for the competition who are eligible under their
Federation terms of eligibility at the date in the year in which the competition is held,
provided always that such an athlete is a bona fide member of that club for a period
starting at least on the 1 st January of the year of the competition.
Selected foreign athletes must comply with the National Federations rules of
qualification currently in force and must present their resident card. In countries where
resident cards are not used, the club concerned must provide the proof by state or
town authorities that this athlete is living in the country. Moreover, their number is limited
to one in each team.
The athletes’ eligibility is also subject to the age group limits as stated hereunder:
“Only athletes aged at least 16 years on 31 December of the year of the competition
can participate, with the following exceptions: only athletes aged from 16 to 19 years
on 31 December of the year of the competition may compete in the junior races.”
ENTRY DEADLINES
The entries are processed through the online system on the European Athletics website
which is accessible by the European Athletics Member Federations. According to the
regulations, the deadline for the preliminary entries is Monday, 3 November, 24:00 CET.
Travel details and room request must be entered in the system along with the
information about competing athletes per event, so as the number of the team officials.
Please also take note of the deadline for the final entries:
Opening: 8 January 2009 - Closing: 22 January 2009
SCORING
Each race shall be scored separately
The team results shall be decided by the aggregate of placing recorded by the scoring
athletes of each team. The team with the lowest aggregate of placing points will be
judged the winner.
If a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team, it will not be classified in the team
result. The athletes finishing shall be counted as individuals in the race result and shall be
eligible for the individual placing.
No adjustment to the scoring placing of the finishing teams shall be made in respect of
any non-scoring team runners or of individual entries
In the event of a tie, it shall be resolved in favour of the team whose last scoring runner
finishes nearest to the first place.
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ACCOMMODATION
All teams will be accommodated in 5-star hotels, no more than 30 minutes to the race
venue.
FINANCIAL CONDITIONS
In accordance with the Harmonised Regulations of the European Champion Clubs Cup,
the Organising Club shall pay the board and lodging expenses for not more than 2
(two) days and for maximum of 4 (four) athletes in each race and 1 (one) official from
each Club. In case the junior team is from the same club as the senior team, the
Organiser will not cover the accommodation costs for any additional official for the
Junior Team.
In order to partially support accommodation costs, each team shall pay 200 Euros to
the organiser.
The accommodation cost for extra persons / extra days is per person per night, full
board:
€ 65 in double occupancy
€ 90 in single occupancy
Single room demands will be considered according to the availability of the rooms.
Accommodation costs for extra persons and extra days as well as any personal
expenses have to be borne by the participating club. Payments for additional team
members and/or additional nights have to be made to the LOC in advance or upon
arrival. The banking details for advance payment can be asked to the LOC.
Payment of expenses in the hotel during the stay, all extra charges (telephone, laundry,
bar, etc.), should be settled at the cashier in the hotel before departure.
INSURANCE
The participating European Athletics Members are responsible for taking out their own
insurance to cover illness or injury to any member of their team when travelling to and
from European Athletics competitions and during the event itself.
PROVISIONAL TIMETABLE
The provisional programme of events is as follows. It is yet to be discussed with the
European Athletics Technical Delegate and subject to change.
10:00 Junior Women - 4 km
10:25 Junior Men - 6 km
10:55 Senior Women - 6 km
11:30 Senior Men - 10 km
The Technical Meeting is anticipated to be held at 18:00 on Saturday, 31 January. The
time shall be fixed after the receipt of the travel details of all the participating teams.
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USEFUL INFORMATION
Currency:
There will be two separate series of banknotes in use from 1 January 2009. The currency
YTL (New Turkish Lira) is to be withdrawn from circulation as of 1 January 2010, and TL
(Türk Lirası) will remain in use after that. Lira is divided into 100 Kurus. Lira notes appear
in denominations of 5,10,20,50 and 100 YTL, and the coins are in denominations of 1, 5,
10, 25, 50 Kurus and also in 1 Lira.
Some indicative exchange rates as of 31 October 2008 are;
Time zone:
EUR/YTL 1.98 GBP/YTL 2.52 CHF/YTL 1.35 USD/YTL 1.56
Standard time zone in Turkey is UTC/GMT +2 hours. At 11:00 a.m. in Istanbul, the time is;
Electricity specifications:
09:00 a.m. in London - 10:00 a.m. in Zurich
Turkey operates on 220 volts, 50 Hz, with round-prong European-style plugs that fit into
recessed wall sockets/points. Many appliances with their own power adapters, such as
laptop computers and digital cameras, can be plugged into 220-volt sockets/points.
Mobile phones:
If you have a GSM-standard phone operating on the 900Mhz and/or 1800Mhz band(s),
you can use "international roaming" in Turkey. This is the most expensive way to make
calls, but the easiest. If your 900Mhz/1800Mhz GSM phone is "unlocked," you can buy a
prepaid Turkish SIM card and call within Turkey at local rates. This is much cheaper than
roaming.
Telephone calls to and from Turkey:
The international code of Turkey is 90. To make a call to Istanbul, dial the international
prefix to connect to the international network, then dial 90 for Turkey, and then the city
code 216 for the Asian side of Istanbul where the Event Hotels are located, or 212 for
the European side, then the phone number. For an outcall from Turkey, the international
prefix is 00.
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