Your Sport for Life Newsletter of European Athletics 2 | 08 December INSIDE TRACK European Athletes of the Year 2008 awarded in Amsterdam 2 WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT 10 FOCuS ON aTHlETES 16 THE INSIDE TRaCk Clear strategic direction for European Holm hangs up his spikes Competition programme 2009 Athletics Brand 12 EDuCaTION 18 THOugHT lEaDERSHIP 4 THE CHaMPIONS Council approves 2009 Facing the future with Facebook! Waterford Crystal European Athletics of Education Programme the Year 2008 Keeping the skills up-to-date 19 Events preview European Athletics Rising Stars 2008 Benvenuti a Torino! 14 STaTE OF Sport Great duel beckons in Brussels 9 CONVENTION European Athletics – Innovation Award Speaking with one voice European Athletics Convention Your Sport for Life WoRD fRom ThE PRESIDENT IMPRESSuM Clear strategic direction for European Athletics Brand European Athletics Association Européenne d’Athlétisme President: Hansjörg Wirz SUI Vice Presidents: Hansjörg Wirz | President, European Athletics Jose Luis de Carlos ESP, Svein Arne Hansen NOR Treasurer: Karel Pilny CZE Director General: Christian Milz SUI Another year has passed and December address before “European Athletics provides thought leadership is always a good time to sit back and the London 2012 Office: and development of new initiatives aimed at Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18 reflect on 2008, the year that was. Games. CH-1003 Lausanne helping society form a loyal relationship with Switzerland We live in ever changing and challenging The media will athletics for life.“ Phone +41 (0)21 313 43 50 times on a number of fronts but our always focus Fax +41 (0)21 313 43 51 [email protected] biggest and most important long term on the medal www.european-athletics.org partner, the European Broadcasting table but with Germany (Berlin 09), And we have a head start as European Union (EBU) showed both confidence Spain (Barcelona 10) and Great Britain Athletics already provides leadership in “Inside Track” is published by and consistency by signing with us for (London 12) along with Italy (Torino 09) two key ways: European Athletics another four year period until 2011. and France (Paris 11) all hosting major Co-ordination: events in the next four year period, I am • Firstly, we run international events that Pierce O’Callaghan IRL This partnership, which has been in sure these countries medal collection will provide best practice for others to follow. Kirsty Anderson GBR place since 1981, is of paramount grow during this time. And like all leaders, we are prepared to European Athletics Communication Department importance in supporting European innovate and stop at nothing to make Phone +41 (0)21 313 4360 Athletics with our plans for the future. Off the track 2008 was also a very busy our sport more appealing. [email protected] year. The Beijing Olympic Games were • And secondly European Athletics Text, Photos: always going to be challenging Games Last year we set out to create a clear provides thought leadership and Kirsty Anderson GBR, Gi Fernando (GBR), DPA, for Europeans and so it turned out. new strategic direction for the European development of new initiatives aimed at Bill Glad GBR, Andy Heading Athletics brand. We felt this was necessary helping society form a loyal relationship GBR, Heiner Henze (GER), Although we are still dominant in the as we reviewed the many challenges with athletics for life. We want athletics Carl Olaf Homen (FIN), Erik field events, our loss of strength in the faced by athletics in twenty first century to be the sport of choice for all ages. The van Leeuwen (NED), Christiane track events, particularly on the men’s Europe. associated health benefits will be felt Maillard SUI, Celia Mendes socially and economically throughout POR, Christian Milz SUI, side is worrying and is something that Phil Minshull GBR, Pierce all member federations will have to Europe. O’Callaghan IRL, Marco Sicari ITA, Ken Van Deyck BEL, Hansjörg Wirz SUI. Design, Production: AMK Atelier für Marketing und Kommunikation Amstutzstrasse 14 CH-6010 Kriens, Switzerland Phone +41 (0)41 320 00 72 Fax +41 (0)41 320 00 79 [email protected] Print: Multicolor Print AG CH-6340 Baar, Switzerland Cover page, from left: Christian Milz, Director General of European Athletics, Raphael Holzdeppe (GER), European Athletics male Rising Star 2008, Andreas Thorskildsen (NOR), European male Athlete of the Year 2008, Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS) European female Athlete of the Year 2008, Hansjörg Wirz, President of European Athletics and Steph Twell (GBR) European female Rising Star Award winner 2008. 2 www.european-athletics.org Newsletter of European Athletics 2|08 INSIDE TRACK WoRD fRom ThE PRESIDENT e Lif r fo t Spor our Y Clear strategic direction for European Athletics Brand Now, to bring all this to life we have “To Inspire European society, we are restructuring our events developed a clear leadership strategy for 2009 and beyond. schedule to make the sport more visible and attractive. The European Athletics Championship will take place every two There are four drivers that will keep this European Athletics virtuous circle years from 2012 onwards, as opposed to every four years as at constantly turning: present. “ Inspiration: where we run events that inspire people to go out and discover their exciting: one false start in a sprint race... the whole European calendar into an full potential; and you’re out. Final throws and jumps integrated and more coherent format. will enjoy undivided attention of the whole Motivation: where we help educate people stadium. The last few runners in distance We are also launching a series of and provide the motives that trigger them races will be withdrawn at a key stage of leadership coaching summits throughout to do something specific; the race. Europe. This will help national coaches ensure an aspiring potential European Participation: where we help provide the These changes will add excitement and champion or elite performer will not slip mechanics for people to access athletics more drama without affecting the purity of through the net. in an active or passive way; our great sport. We shall carefully monitor the success of these changes; the ones Finally, we are passionate about cleaning and Aspiration where, with the help of that work, we will keep and encourage up our sport by creating a “Doping-free our Member Federations, we create the Member Federations to adopt. zone”. European Athletics wants to lead competition and coaching structures to by example with a zero tolerance approach allow athletes and administrators reach To motivate Europeans, we are to doping. their highest possible level. undertaking some major initiatives with organisations such as UNESCO. We So in summary, European Athletics is Our aim is to provide leadership services have already organised a successful taking a leadership role in order to achieve in each of these areas. Specifically for youth seminar in Oslo in December plans a clear vision. 2009, here are just a few of the initiatives are far advanced for a youth camp in we have planned: Barcelona in 2010. We recognise that with this leadership comes great responsibility. And we also To Inspire European society, we are Again working closely with Member know that we cannot reach the vision restructuring our events schedule to make Federations, we aim to use athletics as a alone. the sport more visible and attractive. The catalyst for behavioral change in young European Athletics Championship will people. We know they will become fitter, We can only succeed by working together take place every two years from 2012 healthier and better people. with all Europeans involved in athletics, in onwards, as opposed to every four years cooperation with our Member Federations as at present. To help more Europeans participate in and fully supported by the world governing athletics, we want to make the sport more body of athletics. This means we will be able to take accessible, credible and relevant to young advantage of the intense interest in people. I firmly believe that our initiatives will athletics during each Olympic year. It also encourage many more Europeans to choose means that there will be more European So we are working with experts to deliver to make athletics their: “Sport for Life”. Champions providing inspiration to a a greater variety of athletics content greater number of Europeans, and in through more fixed and mobile digital Finally, on behalf of myself and my particular, young Europeans. channels. Council colleagues I would like to wish you and your loved ones a nice break over We are replacing the European Cup with To help emerging European athletes meet Christmas and a happy and healthy 2009! the European Team Championships, with their aspirations, we have been very an exciting new format with combined active. men and women’s teams. One of our biggest innovations here will be And as leaders, we are not afraid to the restructuring of the one day meetings. experiment with rule changes in this This will be the biggest change in our sport Hansjörg Wirz competition, to make the sport even more for many years. It involves transforming President, European Athletics INSIDE TRACK 2|08 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 3 Your Sport for Life ThE ChAmPIoNS Thorkildsen on his way to an Olympic gold and an Olympic record in Beijing andreas Thorkildsen (NOR) Waterford Crystal European male Athlete of the Year 2008. Right time, right place andreas Thorkildsen successfully defended his Olympic men’s javelin title this summer Norwegians and javelin excellence seem friendly rival Finland’s Tero Pitkämäki took and his triumph in Beijing was instrumental to go-hand-in-hand as his only other the award 12 months ago. compatriot to win Europe’s top individual in the Norwegian becoming the Waterford athletics honour was Trine Hattestad in His winning throw in Beijing, in still 1990.