Your Sport for Life Newsletter of European Athletics 1 | 09 June INSIDE TRACK Let the European Team Championships begin! 2 WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT 9 European AthlETICS INDOOR European Athletics leads way in making CHaMPIONSHIPS necessary changes 11 INSIDE TRaCk 4 EuropeaN TEaM CHaMPIONSHIPS Specific Competition Regulations 17 FEDERaTION FOCuS The A-Z of the SPAR European Team Championships 19 THOugHT lEaDERSHIP 8 EDuCaTION 22 PREvIEW Innovation Award European Athletics Convention Your Sport for Life WoRD fRom ThE PRESIDENT IMPRESSuM European Athletics leads way in making necessary changes 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 European Athletics, like any organisation, has not been immune to Office: Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18 the storm that has ravaged the world’s CH-1003 Lausanne financial markets over the past months Switzerland but we are in a good situation to navigate Phone +41 (0)21 313 43 50 our way through the rocky waters that Fax +41 (0)21 313 43 51 [email protected] may persist for some time yet. www.european-athletics.org We are fortunate to have such strong “Inside Track” is published by partnerships in place, with the European European Athletics Broadcasting Union till 2011 and also Co-ordination: with SPAR, and we are in constant Pierce O’Callaghan IRL dialogue with these partners. And as Aditya Kumar IND was reported at the European Athletics European Athletics Communication Department Congress in Lausanne in April, we are Phone +41 (0)21 313 4360 also in the healthy position of being able [email protected] to draw on financial reserves if needed. Text, Photos: The economic crisis of course makes it and event toolkit (SSET) that can be Aditya Kumar IND, “The economic crisis of course DPA, Bill Glad GBR, Andy more important than ever for organizers used by organisers. makes it more important than Heading GBR, Christiane to host events that are financially viable. Maillard SUI, Christian Milz Indeed, one way of making sure events Society as a whole is calling for us – and ever for organizers to host events SUI, Phil Minshull GBR, Pierce are cost efficient is by making them more others – to adapt our practices and move that are financially viable. Indeed, O’Callaghan IRL, Ken Van environmentally sound and sustainable. in this direction of being responsible, Deyck BEL, Hansjörg Wirz SUI, Bill Glad GBR, James Mulligan ethical and sustainable, and we are one way of making sure events are GBR, Ed Warner GBR, Carlos We recently demonstrated our more than happy to do so. We are acutely cost efficient is by making them Martin ESP, Ede Rutkovszky continued commitment to achieving aware of how important it is to care for HUN, Michael Butcher GBR these goals with the announcement of the environment. more environmentally sound and our forward-thinking partnership with Design, Production: sustainable.” AMK Atelier für Marketing the International Academy of Sports Another positive step in the right und Kommunikation Science and Technology (AISTS) in the direction European Athletics has been Amstutzstrasse 14 development of online sustainable sport making is in the long-term planning of events, something that is vitally important CH-6010 Kriens, Switzerland to us and our Member Federations. Phone +41 (0)41 320 00 72 Fax +41 (0)41 320 00 79 [email protected] It is a wholly more efficient way of doing things for many reasons – not least to Print: ensure existing facilities are used, thus Multicolor Print AG CH-6340 Baar, Switzerland negating the need for huge expenditure on the part of the organizers. It will ensure improved orientation for all parties concerned with the hosting of the event, as well as helping us maintain a geographical balance of where events take place. One event we are already making plans for is the 2012 European Athletics Championships – the first time we will have our flagship championships follow a two-year cycle. It is clear that changing the cycle from four years to two years is absolutely needed to increase the European 2 www.european-athletics.org Newsletter of European Athletics 1|09 INSIDE TRACK WoRD fRom ThE PRESIDENT e Lif r fo t Spor our Y European Athletics leads way in making necessary changes Athletics Championships’ visibility and “One event we are already making plans for is the 2012 attractiveness and ensure it remains at the forefront of people’s minds. European Athletics Championships – the first time we will have our flagship championships Of course, this will mean it will take place during the Olympic year but we have follow a two-year cycle.” found two places and a time where we can make it happen. The two host candidates – Finland and Germany – are in negotiations with us and we will come to a decision soon after further discussions. Our decision to switch the European Championships cycle shows we are not afraid to make groundbreaking decisions for the good of our sport. The same leadership is shown with our revamp of the one-day meeting system in Europe. We have made a number of decisions and agreed in principle on the key points of the whole system. We are now integrating our stakeholders into the system and then we will prepare the final regulations. We must, however, see how we can realize the values of linking the levels of competition at world and European level. It is an exciting initiative that is moving towards being realized in time for the 2010 season. One equally attractive initiative that heralds an exciting new era in our sport is now about to become reality at the SPAR Indeed, I am certain these changes will These future generations of star athletes European Team Championships. The make athletics even more exciting and competing are part of the “lifeblood” of question we faced with its predecessor, the dramatic for spectators in the stadium and our sport. It is our target in the upcoming SPAR European Cup was, “how could we TV viewers without affecting the purity of years to continue to focus our resources to make the competition more attractive?” our sport. And with this, we are showing further develop our education programme Our answer has been to create a new event once again our leadership in adapting our and implement activities in the fields that revamps traditional track and field sport to make sure it keeps its appeal for of youth and health, to ensure not only regulations, has men and women compete spectators, TV viewers, media and athletes that European youngsters continue to as one team, introduces promotion and now and in the future. emerge in the sport at a world level but relegation battles between the four new also to ensure thousands of others choose leagues, and introduces a European When we talk of the future, it is nothing athletics as their “Sport for Life.” “league table” that will rank teams from without the continued emergence of Nos. 1 to 50. athletes at the junior levels, and we have two important competitions in July The sheer unpredictability of a team that will showcase the best of our young performance, generation of national talent – the European Athletics U23 pride as countries do battle against their Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania, and Hansjörg Wirz rivals, and the “make-or-break” drama European Athletics Junior Championships President, European Athletics that will unfurl because of the revamped in Novi Sad, Serbia. These follow on from regulations is sure to have everyone on the the IAAF World Youth Championships edge of their seats and make for compelling immediately before. viewing throughout the weekend. INSIDE TRACK 1|09 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 3 Your Sport for Life EuRopean Team ChAmPIoNShIPS The SPaR European Team European Team Championships is a new and exciting competition created by European athletics open to all 50 European Championships Member Federation nations. The new competition promises: Specific Competition Regulations For the 4x100m and 4x400m relays the teams’ distribution per heat will be based UNPREDICTABILITY FOR ATHLETES AND TV VIEWERS 100m, 200m, 400m, 110m/100m according to the teams’ scoring standings • There are 12 teams in each of the top two divisions (Super Hurdles, 400m Hurdles, 4x100m, one hour before the scheduled time for the League and First) with even more focus on team positions and 4x400m relay event. team points than individual results. Where there are 12/14 teams competing, ONLY ONE WINNER all of the above events will be staged in The best scoring teams will compete in the • Team scores are calculated by the combination of men’s and two heats consisting of six/seven athletes/ same heat which shall be the last event of women’s points. teams in each. the session of track events. EUROPEAN RANKING OF NATIONS FROM 1 to 50 • The results will produce a European Athletics nations’ ranking The distribution of athletes per heat will be In all track events, no false start will be list from 1 to 50 – an endeavour that is the first of its kind. as follows: allowed. CLEAR COMPETITION FORMAT • There are four clearly distinct leagues within the new team For races up to and including 400m, the Any athlete committing a false start will championship series: Super League, First, Second and Third distribution of athletes/teams will be based be disqualified and the team will receive League. on the athletes’ season-best performance. no points in that particular event. DRAMATIC RELEGATION AND PROMOTION BATTLES • There will be three teams relegated from and promoted to the In cases where the athlete has no season 800m, 1500m Super League on an annual basis.