2006: the Year of European Athletics Message from EAA President Hansjörg Wirz
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UPDATE Newsletter of the European Athletic Association 1|06 April 2006: the year of European Athletics Message from EAA President Hansjörg Wirz 2006 is a special There has been a strong demand for year for European sponsorship packages for the event. Several Athletics. It is important National Partners and Suppliers the year of the are signed up and all the EAA’s International European Athletics Partners – SPAR, SEIKO and EPSON – are Championships contributing with their engagement to what which take place will be an outstanding event in Gothenburg. 2 EVENTS in Gothenburg in 30 European television stations and some Review of recent EAA events August. Established from outside Europe have already signalled and new stars of our sport will have the their intention to broadcast this year’s 6 PREVIEW chance to shine on the Continental stage. European Athletics Championships. A look ahead to future EAA events The European Athletics Championships is In Gothenburg we will celebrate the 25th very important for our movement. It is the anniversary of the EAA’s partnership with the 9 INSIDE shop window for athletics in Europe and European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which Update on ‘European Athletics – when our sport reaches its largest audience. is a strong sign of a successful cooperation. the need for change’ The event is the highlight of our four-year Television is the means by which we bring competition programme and attracts a our sport to a wide audience and attract massive amount of interest from media, new fans and our relationship with EBU has 11 FACTS sponsors and the public. been of the utmost importance in ensuring Information, facts & fi gures excellent coverage of our events across We are greatly looking forward to being Europe. in Gothenburg in August for this year’s 12 FINISH Championships, which will be celebrated Another important event in Gothenburg Interview with world 110m hurdles both inside and outside the stadium. The will be the European Youth Forum. It will champion Ladji Doucouré whole city of Gothenburg will be the arena be an excellent opportunity for young for the event and many concerts and other leaders from EAA Member Federations to festivities will take place in the streets, share ideas with their counterparts in other squares and parks of the city. For the European countries and to be inspired fi rst time ever the opening ceremony will by watching top class athletics. Their take place outside the stadium in the city experiences will help them to contribute centre. In this way the whole population towards the development of athletics in of Gothenburg will be integrated into their country. Young people are the future the Championships and there will be an of our sport and retaining their involvement enjoyable atmosphere not only in the in athletics is one of the key objectives stadium, but in the whole city. of the ‘European Athletics – the need for change’ project. Staging the Championships is a great organisational challenge and I extend All the elements of preparation give the my thanks to the Organising Committee picture of an outstanding European Athletics in Gothenburg under the leadership of Championships in Gothenburg. I am sure Toralf Nilsson and to the EAA’s delegates, that the spectators in the stadium and the consultants and staff who are working so millions of TV viewers across the Continent European Athletic Association hard to make the event a success. will enjoy some spectacular competition Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18 as Europe’s best athletes battle to become 1003 Lausanne Switzerland An important measure of success is to have European champions. I look forward to a full stadium every day. Ticket sales for welcoming you to the European Athletics Phone +41 (21) 313 43 50 Göteborg 2006 are progressing well and Championships. Fax +41 (21) 313 43 51 we are confi dent that sell-out enthusiastic Email offi [email protected] Web www.european-athletics.org crowds will cheer on the athletes every day. [email protected] UPDATE 1|06 Newsletter of the EAA www.european-athletics.org 1 EVENTS France and Russia defend European indoor crowns The French men and Russian women defended their European Athletics Indoor Cup titles in Liévin on 5 March but took two different paths to reach the top of the podium. Russia’s women, as they have done since Team Result the inaugural European Athletics Indoor Cup in 2003, dominated the competition Men Women from the fi rst event and won fi ve of the 1. France, 59 points 1. Russia, 69 points nine disciplines contested. 2. Germany, 54 2. Poland, 53 3. Spain, 50 3. Romania, 46 Steeplechaser Yekaterina Volkova, the 4. Poland, 50 4. France, 41 world championships silver medallist 5. Ukraine, 47 5. Germany, 37 last summer, proved that she is a highly 6. Russia, 41 6. Ukraine, 33 competent competitor without the 7. Italy, 38 7. Spain, 31 barriers and got Russia off to a winning 8. Finland, 27 8. Sweden, 21 start in 8:59.70. “My indoor running was really just for training. The steeplechase is in the European Athletics Championships for the fi rst time this year and I am very motivated to win the gold medal in Gothenburg as I don’t actually win many races. My victory in the Cup was the fi rst one this year,” she commented after the race. Tatyana Veshkurova then won the 400m in 51.67 seconds and Oksana Rogova took the triple jump with 14.08m to Winner of the women’s 3000m give Russia maximum points after three Marc Maury interviews Christine Arron Yekaterina Volkova events. Olga Komyagina in the 1500m and the Romania fi nished third on their Cup debut with 46 points. Maria relay quartet, with the race run over 4- Cioncan made a welcome return to major competition after 3-2-1 laps of the track, added further spending the second half of last year recovering from injury and victories for Russia to fi nish as emphatic provided the highlight for the Romanian team when she came winners with 69 points. through strongly on the last lap to win the 800m in 2:02.21. Poland had their best ever showing to France’s Christine Arron, who was cheered to the rafters every fi nish second with 53 points, helped time her name was mentioned, did not disappoint and overcame in no small part by pole vaulter Anna a mediocre start to win the 60m in 7.16 seconds while Sweden’s Rogowska clearing a national record of Susanna Kallur, the reigning European Indoor champion, won 4.80m – most pundits’ choice for the the 60m hurdles in 7.95 seconds to complete the female roll of performance of the Cup – before having honour. three attempts at a world record height of 4.92m. In contrast to the women’s contest, the lead in the men’s competition changed hands four times during the course of the Rogowska was watched intently by afternoon and going into the last event, the relay, any one of four Russia’s current world record holder teams could have triumphed. Yelena Isinbayeva, who had earlier been honoured as the 2005 Waterford Crystal Poland had a fl ying start and won the fi rst two events. Shot Shot put winner Tomasz Majewski Female European Athlete of the Year. putter Tomasz Majewski exceeded expectations and rose to the 2 www.european-athletics.org Newsletter of the EAA 1|06 UPDATE EVENTS European Athletes of the Year 2005: Virgilijus Alekna and Yelena Isinbayeva Lithuanian discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna and Russian pole The winning French men’s team vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva received their 2005 Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year Trophies from EAA President Hansjörg Wirz in the arena before the start of the European Athletics Indoor Cup. For both athletes it is the fi rst time they challenge by producing a season’s best The Poles’ 400m man Daniel Dabrowski have won the award. of 20.60m in the fi nal round to come then produced the fastest time over two from behind and wrestle the lead from laps of 46.62. World 110m hurdles champion Ladji Doucouré (FRA) was Germany’s highly favoured Ralf Bartels. runner-up in the men’s poll, with European Indoor high jump Germany took over on top after Jan champion Stefan Holm (SWE) and World hammer champion “I’m really happy because I knew my Fitschen won an enthralling 3000m in Ivan Tikhon (BLR) taking joint third place. opponents were going to be strong, 7:58.08 but it was to be the only event especially Ralf,” said the delighted Germany won. World heptathlon champion Carolina Klüft (SWE) took second Majewski. place amongst the women, ahead of Golden League jackpot The host’s neighbours hung onto the lead winner Tatyana Lebedeva and World marathon champion for another four events thanks to some Paula Radcliffe (GBR). solid performances, although Ronald Pognon’s 60m win in 6.65 seconds and Ladji Doucouré’s comfortable 60m hurdles victory in 7.62 seconds kept the home crowd happy and their hopes alive that France would be in contention at the end. “I put some pressure on myself before the race because I wanted to do well for the team. I’m surprised about the time because I didn’t think I would be running so fast,” refl ected Doucouré, the reigning world champion over 110m hurdles outdoors, after winning his fi rst outing of the winter over the hurdles. However Sergio Gallardo’s victory in a tactical 1500m, following up an earlier win by Juan de Dios Jurado in the 800m, saw Spain rather than France go to the front after eight events.