YourYour SportSport fforor LifeLife Newsletter of European Athletics 1 / 10 | JULY INSIDE TRACK THE STAGE IS SET Your Sport for Life WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT Eyes of the world IMPRESSUM turn towards Barcelona European Athletics Association Européenne d’Athlétisme This will mean that the whole of Barcelona President: can be a part of the championships. Of Hansjörg Wirz course, staging the championships is a Vice Presidents: great logistical challenge and I extend Jose Luis de Carlos, my thanks to the B10 local organising Svein Arne Hansen Treasurer: Karel Pilny committee under the leadership of Director General: José Maria Odriozola and the general Christian Milz coordination of Monica Barra and the European Athletics staff members, who Offi ce: Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18 have all worked so hard to make the event CH-1003 Lausanne a success. Switzerland Phone +41 (0)21 313 43 50 An important measure of success is to Fax +41 (0)21 313 43 51 offi [email protected] have a full stadium every day. Ticket sales www.european-athletics.org for Barcelona 2010 have been increasing Hansjörg Wirz | President, European Athletics in the lead-up to the event and we are “Inside Track” is published by confi dent that large and enthusiastic European Athletics I write this with a growing sense of excitement and anticipation just a few days before crowds will cheer the athletes on every Co-ordination: the start of the 20th European Athletics Championships in Barcelona – the pinnacle of day. James Mulligan the European Athletics competition programme. Aditya Kumar There has been a strong demand, European Athletics Communication Department The championships are very important for our movement. It is the shop window for meanwhile, for sponsorship packages Phone +41 (0)21 313 43 57 athletics in Europe, when established and new stars of our sport have the chance to for the event. Several important National [email protected] shine on the continental stage, and it is when our sport reaches its largest audience. Partners and Suppliers have been signed up, while European Athletics’ Text, Photos: James Mulligan, Aditya The eyes of Europe – and the world – will be trained on Barcelona between 26 July and main International Sponsor SPAR and Kumar, Bill Glad, Phil Minshull, 1 August, with the event attracting a huge amount of interest from media, sponsors and International Partners OMEGA, EPSON, Hansjörg Wirz, Christian Milz, the public. LE GRUYÈRE and INTERSPORT will Peter Stafford, Andy Heading, have a high-profi le presence during the Picture Alliance Indeed, the value of this high-quality event cannot be underestimated – not least in terms event. of what it brings to the host city. Design, Production: AMK Atelier für Marketing Three weeks before the start of proceedings, und Kommunikation Our belief is for these championships to be fully integrated within the city so that the 46 television channels had expressed their Amstutzstrasse 14 event doesn’t begin and end as one enters and leaves the stadium. With this in mind, I intention to broadcast the event with about CH-6010 Kriens, Switzerland Phone +41 (0)41 320 00 72 am very much looking forward to being in Barcelona for such a special event that will 1,000 hours of coverage planned over Fax +41 (0)41 320 00 79 be celebrated throughout this famous city. The opening ceremony, which will showcase the six days of competition, with some [email protected] local identity, arts and culture, will take place in front of Barcelona’s Font Magic on major broadcasters still to express their Avenida María Cristina. And for the fi rst time in the history of the European Athletics intentions. Television is the gateway for Print: Multicolor Print AG Championships, the Marathon and Race Walk events will be entirely held in the city our sport to a wide audience of existing CH-6340 Baar, Switzerland centre. Cover page The stage is set for the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona 2 WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT 14 ECH 2014 AND BEYOND 20 DEVELOPMENT between 26 July and 1 August. • Eyes of the world turn • Long-term planning paving way for • EU athletics projects making towards Barcelona successful future events progress 4 BARCELONA 2010 15 EVENT REVIEW 21 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP • Barcelona opens its arms to the rest • Russia returns to number one • European Athletics building of Europe Premium and Classic Meetings brand 17 SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT • Blasts from the past • European Athletics and B10 take 22 DIRECTOR GENERAL’S STATE • Internet Initiatives responsibilities seriously OF SPORT • A Trip down memory lane • Making athletics “Your Sport for • Meet ‘Team European Athletics’ 18 YOUNG LEADERS FORUM Life“ for future generations AND ONLINE COMMUNITY 12 HELSINKI 2012 24 2010 AWARDS NIGHT • Helsinki 2012 – let the new tradition • Looking for the future leaders • Time to honour the best of begin European athletics 2 www.european-athletics.org Newsletter of European Athletics 1|10 INSIDE TRACK WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT e f i L r o f t r o p S r u o Y and potential new fans and I am happy Olympic year as it switches from the four-year cycle. It will be the third time the Finnish to say that our long-standing partnership city will host the event after 1971 and 1994. Let us not forget that the city also hosted the with the European Broadcasting Union, IAAF World Championships in 1983 and 1995. The 2005 World Championships was a which has been of the utmost importance fantastic success and Helsinki is very capable in organising large-scale events. in ensuring excellent coverage of our events across Europe since 1981, is set to It was a near-unanimous decision during the European Athletics Congress in Cannes continue. 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 With all these important elements in overwhelming consensus shows the support our Member Federations have for the place, I am sure that the European championships every two years. Athletics Championships in Barcelona will be a memorable occasion and that the Of course, there are challenges that need to be addressed but the European Athletics spectators in the stadium and the millions Championships will integrate successfully into the Olympic year and be an important of TV viewers across the continent and competition in the schedule. around the world will enjoy watching Europe’s best athletes battle to become I am sure that once Helsinki takes the baton from our friends in Barcelona following a European champions. fantastic championships this summer they are sure to provide us with a successful new chapter in the history of European Athletics in 2012. The excitement of Barcelona will have barely died down before expectations rise For now, though, our attention is 100 percent with Barcelona. I hope you enjoy the once more, this time for the 2012 European spectacle as much as I will. 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 European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz and Jordi Hereu, the mayor of Barcelona (5th and 7th from the champions – thus providing inspiration to 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 a great number of Europeans, particularly Stadium in Barcelona. 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 INSIDE TRACK 1|10 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 3 Your Sport for Life 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 Olympic Games in Barcelona, but never before have these The vast majority of those medallists and picturesque setting of the championships championships been staged in Spain. winners from 12 months ago will also could leave visitors to the Catalan city, be present in Barcelona, putting their especially those who have never been History tells us that championships records will be broken during reputations on the line. before, gasping in astonishment. the six days of competition, and perhaps even European records will be set, although it’s obviously impossible to say which ones “I am aiming to win the gold at the Spectacular, because the feats by the will fall. Europeans. It would be foolish of me athletes in the Olympic stadium - which is to think anything other than that,” sometimes known by its offi cial title Estadi Around 1,500 athletes from European Athletics’ 50 Member commented Great Britain’s 400m hurdler Olímpic de Montjuïc Lluís Companys Federations will take part in the 20th edition of the championships, David Greene recently. - during the six days of action should which were inaugurated in 1934. match their surroundings and evoke a The Welshman was a World Championships similar response among spectators in the For many competitors, they will be the embodiment of the fi nalist and the fastest man over the stadium or in front of their TV screens, famous saying by Olympic Games founder Pierre de Coubertin, barriers in 2009 and he has maintained and not just in Europe but all around the “The important thing in life is not victory but combat; it is not to his place at the top of the rankings this world.