Your Sport for Life Newsletter of European Athletics 1 | 13 June INSIDE TRACK Your Sport for Life WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT Inclusive growth IMPRESSUM the way forward European Athletics Association Européenne d’Athlétisme President: for our sport Hansjörg Wirz Vice Presidents: Jose Luis de Carlos Karel Pilny Jean Gracia Hansjörg Wirz | President, European Athletics Director General: Christian Milz Office: Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18 At the mid-point of my final four-year term as European Our long-term strategy is driven by the need to raise CH-1003 Lausanne Athletics President, I have recently had the honour of awareness of our sport to address these challenges. In Switzerland reporting to our Skopje 2013 Congress and also to the IAAF order for this to happen, our particular needs as an Area Phone +41 (0)21 313 43 50 Fax +41 (0)21 313 43 51 ahead of its August Congress that our organisation is in a Association of the IAAF must be respected, so we are able [email protected] healthy situation, having strengthened our position on the to develop athletics according to our needs. This needs to be www.european-athletics.org continent in the last two years. We successfully realised the done in line with the IAAF strategic plan, and with increased full competition programme in 2011 and 2012. In addition, cooperation between Area Associations, with knowledge and “Inside Track” is published by European Athletics European Athletics continued with its financial support best practice sharing. With the IAAF’s intent to implement within the domains of competition, education, anti-doping a share of responsibility according to the needs of each Co-ordination: and development activities (youth, women, coaches). Despite Area Association, this leads to two principal directions for James Mulligan, Aditya Kumar the economic challenges in Europe, the financial situation European Athletics: one in the field of high performance; European Athletics Communication Department of European Athletics has remained stable over the last two and the other one in the domain of services by athletics in Phone +41 (0)21 313 43 57 years. And with our Member Federation Support System, we favour of society including health and well-being and youth. [email protected] have continued to provide a unique and exclusive way to give the chance to our members to produce tailor-made solutions We must secure and manage the high quality of the European Text, Photos: for the development of the sport in their own country. Athletics competition programme, strengthen and boost the James Mulligan, Aditya Kumar, Bill Glad, Phil Minshull, performance level of European athletes, secure an efficient Hansjörg Wirz, Christian Milz, We are well-equipped to address the challenges our sport and attractive one-day meeting programme, integrate and Getty Images, Mark Shearman, faces. The situation in Europe is that there is a saturated create competitive and well-being activities, develop a strong LOCs of Zurich 2014, and highly competitive market. Athletics is sometimes seen brand identity for athletics and maximise its exposure on Gothenburg 2013, Rieti 2013 as a declining, purely high-performance sport. And more television. With the European Athletics Youth Championships Design, Production: and more, there are external influences such as the Olympic to take place every two years from 2016 following a decision AMK Atelier für Marketing movement, European Union and consequences of the Lisbon by the recent Congress, European Athletics is very close to und Kommunikation Treaty of Sport that have an effect on the value of European meeting its target to have a full and balanced competition Amstutzstrasse 14 athletics. We also face an unsatisfactory trend concerning programme in all age groups that allows complete CH-6010 Kriens, Switzerland Phone +41 (0)41 320 00 72 diminishing athletics facilities. development and control from the bottom up. Fax +41 (0)41 320 00 79 [email protected] Print: Multicolor Print AG CH-6340 Baar, Switzerland Follow us: >> Facebook >> Twitter >> YouTube 2 www.european-athletics.org Newsletter of European Athletics 1|13 INSIDE TRACK WORD from THE PRESIDENT e Lif or f t Spor our Y Our Member Federations must have high the creation of a clear management structure with In the next few months our thoughts turn to quality management and efficient support proper coordination between all different levels how best we can benefit from the fantastic year and communication tools. We aim to continue from Congress to Commissions, the aspiration of athletics in 2012. The London Olympics was with our commitment to social responsibility, to transparency, wanting to avoid conflicts of a great shop window and we have to be sure to with the integration of women and promotion interest, working towards a higher level of audit capitalise on this. Göteborg 2013 had extremely of sustainability initiatives, and to create in Switzerland and the commercial registration strong broadcast audiences from international programmes to attract the future generation. with authorities to ensure the highest recognition broadcasters throughout Europe and proved to of European Athletics in business and commerce. be an excellent event. Gateshead 2013 is another European Athletics continues also with its financial As a result, with our organisation continuing milestone for us to see how strongly athletics is support in the fight against and prevention of its progress, we updated the European Athletics ingrained in the mind of the European sports fans doping. European Athletics has made a strong Constitution and Rules and Regulations at this following the Olympics. We have been encouraged contribution with its in-competition testing (as Congress in Skopje. so far by the interest shown by the British public out-of-competition testing is the responsibility ahead of the event. Likewise, we see a promising of the national anti-doping agencies and the As was communicated at our Congress in London situation regards public interest in the Zurich IAAF). In 2011 and 2012, we conducted about in 2011, a key objective was to review the whole 2014 European Athletics Championships 1,400 urine tests and more than 600 blood tests governance of the European Athletics structure, during European Athletics events. The European including the Constitution, regulations and Our efforts to reach recognition, competence, Athletics Anti-Doping Education Programme organisational structure, to bring European credibility, integration and growth will lead to a hosted activities at the 2011 European Athletics Athletics in line with modern, future-oriented higher awareness by the public and the society as U23 Championships and European Athletics and efficient associations. This led to the Skopje well as by the institutions and political authorities. Junior Championships, where the aim was to help Congress dissolving the use of the term 'Committee' We will keep coordinating all procedures and athletes gain better understanding of doping- and replacing it with 'Commission'. Henceforth, activities within the organisation and also in the related issues and their own responsibilities. the European Athletics Competition Committee market to reach a stronger position for athletics This programme will continue at the European and Development Committee will be known as in Europe and inside the European Athletics Athletics U23 Championships in Tampere and the Competition Commission and Development family. We do this with the aim to ensure athletics European Athletics Junior Championships in Commission, and the Council will in the future continues to be “Your Sport for Life!” Rieti this summer. appoint all members of all Commissions in order to secure quality and flexibility, taking into account Underpinning our work has been the continued the consultancy function of the positions. All these development of good governance: in short, Commissions will consult the Executive Board “doing and managing the right things the right and/or the Council with all decisions implemented way” in all areas, in order to face current and by the Head Office in Lausanne. future challenges and requirements. This includes INSIDE TRACK 1|13 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 3 Your Sport for Life Betty Heidler of Germany, Olha Saladuha of the Ukraine, local heroes Robbie Grabarz and Mo Farah Gateshead gets chance to show the best of European Athletics To anyone not knowing much about athletics, Gateshead may seem like an unusual place to stage the sport’s leading continental team competition but the town has a special place in the hearts of athletics fans, not just British but across Europe, writes Phil Minshull. event on the international calendar and, Evidence of how quickly the women’s pole to quote a phrase first used by the local developed can be seen when looking at Newcastle Evening Chronicle, gave the the next two world records in the stadium, stadium credibility as a major sporting which also came in that event and were venue. achieved by the Russian pole vault queen Yelena Isinbayeva, who went over 4.82m The 1989 European Cup final was staged in 2003 and 4.87m the following year. there and it was memorably won by Great Built in 1955, the Gateshead International Britain men’s team for the first time, a The most recent world record in the Stadium has been staging international performance marked by victories for stadium was Asafa Powell’s 100m mark of athletics meetings since 1961, no less than European champions, either