European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen has announced a number of measures to bring about a “cultural revolution” in athletics.
These initiatives include a review of European records, in line with the UK Athletics proposal that world records should be reset in light of ongoing doping revelations.
“Rebuilding the reputation of athletics is likely to be the biggest job we have ever undertaken,” Hansen wrote in a statement issued to stakeholders.
“Symbolic gestures and cosmetic measures will not be sufficient, this grave and unprecedented situation calls for fundamental reform.”
“We believe a cultural revolution will be required for athletics to rebuild its reputation and bring the sport’s governance to where it needs to be.”
The reform programme includes further development of good governance structures; investing in a new mandatory anti-doping education programme, pushing IAAF and WADA to implement tougher penalties for doping offenses, developing a national anti-doping system of assessment and monitoring, and reviewing the European records, in line with the British Athletics proposal for world records.
“The recent scandals have reopened the discussion about the legitimacy of certain records in our sport. These link us to a past in which neither we nor the public can have full confidence,” said Hansen.
“Over the years different approaches for addressing this question have been proposed but the issue is very complex and so far nothing has happened. It is clear that now the situation is different.
“We will set up a special project team in the coming months to look again at what is best for the sport and possibly a new approach to records in Europe that could be an example for the IAAF and our Member Federations.
“We will also review the lists of all past award winners, like our European Athlete of the Year or our Coaching Awards, to see if action needs to be taken. Whatever changes we make will be clearly explained so that the public can see how European Athletics is coming to terms with the realities of our sport’s past.”
An independent WADA-commissioned report, published during HOST CITY 2015 on 9 November, revealed that officials at a WADA-accredited drug testing laboratory in Moscow destroyed samples and accepted bribes to cover up positive tests.
“Like everyone in athletics, I am gravely concerned and saddened by the recent WADA report on systemic doping in Russia, the serious corruption allegations against some former IAAF officials and the other scandals that seem to surface on a daily basis,” said Hansen.
“Although European Athletics has not been implicated in any way and these issues are not unique to athletics, the public image and reputation of our sport have been tarnished and this, of course, touches all of us.”
Hansen said European Athletics would take work with IAAF to “help Russia come back into the sport on the right terms.”
“Our philosophy will be one of “tough love” – firm, fair and respectful – but our tolerance for doping and any form of corruption must remain at zero.
“We will also support our Member Federations that have ideas to contribute to the discussion about our sport’s future now taking place, for example the ‘Manifesto for Clean Athletics’ published by UK Athletics.”
WADA is due to release another report later this week.
“When the second WADA report is released, we will carefully study it and any recommendations it contains. If immediate comments are called for, we will make them. Then, in light of the report, we will take our time to review the projects and proposals we have put forward and make any adjustments or additions required,” said Hansen.
Hansen endorsed the current leadership of the IAAF. “We have full confidence that IAAF President Sebastian Coe is the right man for the current challenges, and European Athletics will give him the backing and support he needs.”
Tag: Athletics
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European Athletics backs UK call for review of world records
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Scotland hosts international sports bodies as European Athletics evaluates Glasgow bid
A delegation representing European Athletics arrived in Glasgow on Monday to spend two days in Scotland as part of evaluation visits to cities bidding for the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships.
And this is just one of a series of important meetings with international sports bodies scheduled for the year.
Further visits from international federations will take place over the next two to three weeks, an EventScotland spokesperson told Host City, as Scotland continues to bid for and secure the right to stage some of the world’s most prestigious events.
Glasgow is hosting the 2018 European Sports Championship with Berlin. And Glasgow will also welcome the world of sports, business and cultural events to Host City 2016 on 16 and 17 November.
Glasgow is one of four potential hosts of the 2019 Indoor Athletics Championships and, if successful, would be the first Scottish destination for a European Athletics event in 15 years.
The other cities competing to host the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships are Apeldoorn (Netherlands), Minsk (Belarus) and Torun (Poland).
Evaluation site visits are underway during February and March, before the Evaluation Commission files a report to the European Athletics Council.
The 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships will take place in Belgrade, Serbia.
The Council will vote on which city will host the 2019 championships on 23 April at its meeting in Amsterdam after presentations by the bidders that meet the requirements of the evaluation process.
The Evaluation Commission consists of Karel Pilný (Evaluation Chair); Célia Mendes, Marcel Wakim and Bernadette Brun.
“In recent years Glasgow has established itself as one of the world’s top sporting cities thanks to our investment in new facilities and our international sporting events programme,” said Depute Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow Life, Councillor Archie Graham OBE.
“Athletics has been at the very heart of our rise as a world-leading sporting city. This weekend’s Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix will take the sport to a new level and we hope to build on that success with the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships, which would see Europe’s top athletes return to the Emirates Arena. Our aim is to deliver a world-class event with athletes and spectators at its very heart.”
As well as meeting with bid partners, including the Scottish Government, EventScotland, Glasgow City Council, Scottish Athletics and British Athletics, the group toured the Emirates Arena.
The itinerary also includes a visit to proposed training venue Scotstoun Sports Campus, and an assessment of Glasgow’s ability to accommodate hundreds of athletes and, potentially, thousands of tourists.
“This weekend’s 2016 Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix has sold out months in advance, demonstrating the huge support for elite athletics there is within the Scottish public,” said Niels de Vos, Chief Executive of British Athletics.
“I’m delighted that Glasgow City and EventScotland decided to build on the success of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and previous British Athletics events held in the city by bidding to host European Athletics’ flagship indoor event at the Emirates Arena in 2019.”
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Berlin to stage 2018 European Para Athletics Championships
Berlin, Germany, will stage the 2018 European Para Athletics Championships, the sport’s global governing body IPC Athletics has announced. More than 600 athletes from 40 countries are set to compete at the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark.
The event will take place between 20-26 August 2018, shortly after the 2018 European Athletics Championships, which takes place in Berlin from 7-12 August 2018 as part of the multi-sport “2018 European Championships” co-hosted with Glasgow from 1-12 August.
The 2018 European Para Athletics Championships will be organised by IPC Athletics, the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Germany and Behinderten-und Rehabilitations-Sportband Berlin.
“We are very excited that the 2018 European Para Athletics Championships will be staged in the German capital, a city with an excellent track record for staging major athletics events” said Ryan Montgomery, the IPC’s Director of Summer Sports.
“The Championships will take place with roughly two years to go until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and will be one of the biggest Para athletics events of the year.
“This venue has successfully staged Grand Prix events for the last four years and has a reputation for delivering fast times and long distances. We have seen a number of world and regional records broken in Berlin over the last few years, and I expect to see many more in 2018 as the performance level of Para athletes continues to increase.
“We look forward to work with NPC of Germany and the Behinderten-und Rehabilitations-Sportband Berlin to deliver a hugely successful event.”
Friedhelm Julius Beucher, President of NPC Germany, said: “We are glad and proud that the German capital will host the next European Championships in 2018 – a competition that will take place exactly between the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
“We are convinced that Berlin will deliver excellent Championships and we hope for a big attention, especially because this competition will begin just after the European Championships for athletes without disabilities. It is our wish that there are many spectators who will certainly be fascinated by Para sport. I am sure that we will have a highlight in Berlin.”
First held in Assen, the Netherlands, in 2003, the European Championships have taken place every two years since 2012. Four years ago, Stadskanaal, the Netherlands, played host before the event moved to Swansea, Great Britain in 2014 and then Grosseto, Italy in 2016. The 2018 Championships in Berlin will be the sixth edition.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Berlin to host this great event. For all of us, volunteers and staff, this for sure will be an extraordinary time,” said Klaas Brose, Director of Behinderten-und Rehabilitations-Sportband Berlin.
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European Championships: changing sports for the better
Glasgow’s preparations for the 2018 European Championships are “impressive”
No programming overlaps between sports will be accepted in evenings
Hopes for another outdoor athletics event in Glasgow in the future
Russia “not missed” from athletics until it “follows the rules”
IAAF expected to follow European Athletics’ lead in investigating the credibility of historical records
Two or three potential host cities for 2022 European Championships to be shortlisted on 7th February
Sports must bring top athletes to the 2018 European Championships to stay on the programme for 2022
Further sports may be considered for 2022, particularly those popular in the host city
HOST CITY: The 2018 European Championships is taking place in two cities simultaneously, Berlin and Glasgow. How will live audiences in the cities how will they feel like they are at the same event?
Svein Arne Hansen: They will feel it very well. It is a really good programme that brings all the sports together and this is the same for Glasgow and Berlin.
I am very used to this; I come from a winter sports nation, Norway. Every weekend in the winter, different sports go on throughout the whole day in different places in Europe, but the guys sitting in front of the television don’t really care where it is.
My understanding is, and I feel from the meetings we have had, that Glasgow and Berlin are working very well together and hard together to make this a big success.
HOST CITY: In terms of the European Championships brand, what is being done to make sure that it’s experienced as a single brand?
Svein Arne Hansen: That is what we are working on the final layout now, that is one of the things we will discuss on 7 February and for sure later this year. Because we have to look alike and be the same.
For example, we will have a medal table that will be combined between the two places. Victory ceremonies will be exactly the same in the two places. We are working to have it look as much as the same.
But we must not lose the characteristics of athletics. And I’m sure that the other sports don’t want to lose the characteristics of their sports. I will not be a very popular person if we sold away athletics!
In the future this championship will probably be in one place. But for the moment we are happy to have two such interesting host cities.
I am impressed by Glasgow and the way they are really taking all the sports on board. And of course Glasgow organised the Commonwealth Games in 2014, which was a huge success. Athletics will also come back to Glasgow with the European Indoor Athletics Championships in 2019.
For the moment we are working to try to integrate the two cities so it’s a lookalike for the people sitting in Switzerland, in Norway or here.
HOST CITY: How challenging is it to schedule without programming clashes?
Svein Arne Hansen: It is challenging in one way, but also we have gone into this because we don’t want anything to overlap over the afternoon/evening sessions. That’s a must from European Athletics; that we have no other interference from 6.15PM to 9PM from other sports in those days.
This is a 10-day event we are not accepting any overlap at those times from day one. We have to look after our sport. We are about to solve that now so I don’t think that will be a problem.
The scheduling is going very well. I don’t know how official this is yet, but we are coming out with a very good schedule for each sport and every sport should be recognised.
That’s what we are going to discuss the final layout of the timetable at our next meeting.
HOST CITY: What is your feeling about how the people of Glasgow reacted, responded and embraced the Commonwealth Games in 2014?
Svein Arne Hansen: You see now the fantastic interest there was for that Commonwealth Games. The athletics there was very good. There’s unbelievable interest for athletics in Great Britain.
I really hope in the future some time we can come back with an outdoor event in the summer in Glasgow. I am very impressed by Glasgow, the people, the city and the effort they are doing.
They are always willing to find solutions. They are innovative, are open for ideas, because we have to make changes to our sport.
As IOC President Thomas Bach said a year ago, “you have to change or somebody will change you”. Glasgow is really on to it and taking on this big job with several sports all together and it’s a really massive effort. We are very impressed.
HOST CITY: Athletics has clearly had a difficult time recently and you have been very vocal about the need to clean the sport and its administration.
Svein Arne Hansen: We have difficulties. We have the Russian problem with the state-sponsored doping, which is unbelievable, at least for me, that something like that can happen.
But we saw the fantastic championships in Amsterdam this summer, which sold out the five days and not a single person asked “why are the Russians not here?”. Not a single one asked me that.
It was the same with the Olympics in Rio. OK, they were not there, but nobody really missed them because they had not been following the rules that everybody else has to follow.
HOST CITY: What do you think Russian Athletics thinks about this?
Svein Arne Hansen: They are starting to think along the same lines because they know that they have to change otherwise they will not be coming back.
HOST CITY: And you have established a taskforce to look into the integrity of athletics by investigating European records.
Svein Arne Hansen: Yes, we have put on a group to work on that and it was amazing, the reaction on social media.
This is a very difficult task. The taskforce now has until September/October to come back with proposals we will bring forward to the IAAF.
It’s a challenge, of course. People will feel offended but if we don’t do that, people will say you can’t just let it go on. You have to look into it. Of course some people will be hurt by this, but you can’t make an omelette without breaking the eggs.
HOST CITY: Your suggestion is that the IAAF might follow your lead?
Svein Arne Hansen: I hope so. We will take this decision about European records, but I am sure the IAAF will follow. We have talked to them already and they have been very supportive of this and put one of their best people on the taskforce. So that’s a good sign.
HOST CITY: Another thing that put the IAAF under the spotlight is the host city process for the World Championships.
Svein Arne Hansen: I was not around [on the IAAF Council] then then so I don’t know too much about that. I have heard the same rumours.
HOST CITY: There is an ongoing host city selection process for the 2022 European Championships. Presumably that host will be announced at your board meeting in November?
Svein Arne Hansen: Yes. That’s what we hope.
HOST CITY: Remind me what bids you have on the table?
Svein Arne Hansen: We have a lot, but I can’t say any more. There will probably be a statement after our board meeting on February 7. We plan to come out with participants for the final round. We are looking for two or three cities to be shortlisted.
We also have made a very tough selection for the sports. If they don’t bring their best people to the Championships in 2018 in Glasgow they will not unfortunately be a part of 2022.
We know all the best athletes will be in Berlin. Swimming are saying the same and they know that all the best swimmers will be in Glasgow, all the sports in Glasgow must also come with their best. Glasgow is not investing so much money to have a second-class Championships.
HOST CITY: But all of the seven sports will remain for 2022?
Svein Arne Hansen: It looks like it. But as I said they must bring their best people. It’s also important that they include a sport that is popular for the host city.
HOST CITY: So that suggests there might be some changes?
Svein Arne Hansen: Yes, there might. But we will see. First we have to organise 2018. -
Sebastian Coe confident the IAAF Athletics Integrity Unit can safeguard the sport’s future
IAAF president Sebastian Coe believes the creation of the new independent Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) will not just benefit competitors but also puts policies in place to combat any threat to the sport’s ethics.
Launched at the SportAccord Convention, the AIU will be chaired by David Howman and replaces the IAAF’s former anti-doping department. It will manage activities including education/prevention, testing, intelligence gathering, investigations, results management, prosecutions and appeals.
The AIU’s focus will not only be on anti-doping but will also address integrity breaches in other areas of concern such as bribery and corruption, betting, the manipulation of competition results, age manipulation and misconduct around transfers of allegiance.
Coe said that from now on athletes must be the centre of the sport and the framework for the AIU will provide them with a “safer ecosystem”.
“At the heart of the governance reform is the creation of the Athletics Integrity Unit,” said Coe. “So often the athlete has been the first thought, but actually in reality the last consideration. This will place the athlete absolutely at the centre of that ecosystem. So they are the first thought and also the first consideration.
“It [the AIU] will have a very different approach to anti-doping. It will be independent, will remove national interest and will speed up the process. We need to resolve these issues quickly, we need to resolve them in an independent way and we need to do them so we don’t have national interest obscuring that process.”
Coe added: “It’s really important in a sport that has 214 federations that the ultimate goal is not just to make your headquarters safer or the academic process of putting corporate governances in place. They have to have practical applications through area associations, in our case the continental associations, and then it’s got to have an alignment, an impact and practical support to the 214 federations.
“This will take time but we needed a constitution that was both fit for purpose and can deal with not just one or two issues but for the first time we will have a unit that can deal with all these problems.
“Yes there is a disciplinary element to it, yes there is a sanctioning element to it, there will be investigative powers – but it is fundamentally there to help the athlete make the right decisions throughout their career.”
With the launch of the AIU, the sport is putting systems in place to safeguard its future off the track. But with the introduction of events such as Nitro Athletics, Coe says that innovation must also happen on the track if the sport is to survive.
Not seen as an event for the purists, Nitro Athletics was headlined by sprint king Usain Bolt and is a team-based competition that combines strength, endurance, power and extreme energy.
What did Coe think about the Nitro Athletics spectacle held in Melbourne in February? “It’s very simple, you innovate or you die,” he said. “If sport is our activity then our business is entertainment. We haven’t adapted [to the modern world] as well as we should have done.
“What I liked about Nitro is it’s not that you are suddenly in the World Championships in London or the [Olympic] Games in Tokyo going to see elimination miles, power plays or mixed relays, but there were clues there as to why young people felt more engaged in what they were watching.
“I did throw down the challenge when I became president to ‘do things differently’. It’s important that we evolve and it’s important that we engage young people.
“Yes, sometimes that will be uncomfortable for the purists.” -
Eco-friendly rehabilitation of synthetic surfaces
A time-saving and eco-friendly option for making running tracks that are showing their age as good as new again is to have the synthetic surface professionally re-topped. This entails laying a new wear layer on top of the existing installation – so there is no need to excavate and dispose of the old material.
In its portfolio, Polytan has two re-topping products that can be installed on any existing surface: Rekortan M RT, the water-impermeable system coated in situ, and Spurtan WS RT, the structural system that is permeable to water. One is a PUR coating with strewn EPDM granules, the other a spray coating.
Running tracks with elastic synthetic surfaces such as we know them today have been the only acceptable surface for athletics events at elite level since the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968. The functional qualities they provide for sport, such as energy enhancement and shock absorbency, mean they are now part and parcel of modern sports facilities – whether the running tracks are for schoolchildren, amateur or professional athletes.
Intensity of use and type of system determine the useful life
The useful life of a synthetic surface generally varies between 10 and 30 years, depending on the intensity of use and the type of system that is in-stalled. In principle, a surface that is coated or poured in situ (also called a solid synthetic surface) is much more hard-wearing and long-lasting than a structured surface (sometimes referred to as a spray coating or spray surface).
Since spray coatings have a thinner wear layer than products poured or coated in situ, they wear out much sooner due to the effect of spikes, for instance. In addition to abrasion, the running tracks harden over time and become brittle – an ageing process of synthetic floors that occurs relatively quickly in the case of prefabricated strips. Polytan’s product range includes only synthetic surfaces that are installed in situ in liquid form, allowing them to be optimally adapted to the local circumstances.
The condition of the old surface is the decisive factor
Whether re-topping makes sense will depend on the condition of the existing running track. This is determined in a defined test procedure in which variables such as shock absorption and tensile strength are analysed alongside the evenness of the surface and the general condition of the substrate.
If the re-topped track is to be certified as meeting the requirements for inter-national competition laid down by the IAAF, the governing body of world athletics, the inspection is much more intensive than if the aim is merely to refresh the look of the track. For successful re-topping it is immaterial what method of construction was used for the initial installation, whether it was laid in situ or as prefabricated strips, or who the original manufacturer was: the cost of rehabilitation is determined only by its condition.
If the substrate is suitable for re-topping, the old surface is first cleaned thoroughly and any damaged areas are improved. The next stage is – if necessary – to adapt the existing sports equipment, such as the sandpit for the long jump, to the higher level of the future surface. The third and final stage is the actual re-topping process. This is when a new wear layer is laid seamlessly on the existing old surface, optionally as a PUR coating with strewn EPDM granules or as a spray coating. Once hardened, the rehabilitated running track can no longer be distinguished from a new installation.
The Rekortan M RT (PUR coating) and Spurtan WS RT (spray coating) re-topping systems from Polytan can be used on tracks that are permeable to water as well as those that are impermeable. Both rehabilitation solutions have structured surfaces, are suitable for spikes and therefore offer the optimum base for professional applications.
For more information visit www.polytan.de -
Denmark: a country with a view
What do you see when you scale the grass roof of the Museum of Moesgaard in Aarhus? You see the Danish landscape; you see part of the course of the upcoming IIAF World Cross Country Championships; and you see a country with a view. A view to great international sporting events.
Together with national federations and Sport Event Denmark, Aarhus has hosted a long list of major international sporting events.
Aarhus is just one of many active host cities within Denmark. Other Danish cities – Copenhagen, Herning an Odense – all played hosts to some of the greatest world championships this summer. The IIHF World Ice Hockey World Championship, The ITU MultiSport Festival and the Sailing World Championships were staged in Denmark in 2018 alone.
The Danish record of accomplishment was evaluated by IOC president Thomas Bach on his visit to the Sailing World Championships in Aarhus. “Denmark has proven to be a world-class organizer. No-one in the sporting world could have any doubts that Denmark could organize a fantastic Olympic Games, organizationally and logistically,” he said in an interview with Ritzau news agency.
Crossing cultures
Lars Lundov, CEO of Sport Event Denmark appreciates the compliments from the IOC-president, even if the Olympics are not on a Danish agenda.
“We have gained invaluable experiences through the staging of sporting events in Denmark. Sport Event Denmark as the national sporting event organization acts a knowledge bank and accounts for the future investments in bids for and organizing events for the international federations,” he explains, stressing that host cities and the national federations are vital in the collaboration.
In 2019, Denmark will host new events that will benefit from the experiences gained from the previous events staged in Denmark. The IAAF World Cross Country Championships is among those on the 2019 calendar.
The IAAF World Cross Country Championships is one of the world’s oldest running events. The event will be staged in March on Danish soil on and around the Museum of Moesgaard in Aarhus. The course will include running across the sloping grass roof of the museum.
The local organizers are currently developing an innovative concept for the event. The aim is to boost the championships to focus on cross-country running, nationally and internationally. In addition to the world championships, there are plans for supporting races for schoolchildren and a mass participation race.
The Danish vision has already attracted much attention from both the International Athletic Federation, IAAF and the international World of Running.
IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe visited the innovative course and told the organizers: “It is really, really exciting because it will showcase our sport in an innovative, modern, exciting setting but also show that cross country is a tough sport, and it returns it to what I will describe as a traditional cross country course with the surrounding landscape.”
The view ahead of major international sporting events in Denmark is looking good as Danish host cities, together with Sport Event Denmark, keep bidding for more to fill the pipeline.
A selection of events in 2019
IHF Men’s World Handball Championship 2019
UCI CycloCross World Championships 2019
WCF World Women’s Curling Championship 2019
IAAF World Cross Country Championships 2019
Fact file: Sport Event Denmark
Sport Event Denmark is the national Danish sports event organization. Established and supported by the Danish Government. The objective is bidding for and hosting world-class sporting events in Denmark, for example World- and European Championships in different sports as well as major sports congresses. Sport Event Denmark works in close collaboration with the Danish host cities and the national governing bodies. Today Denmark is one of the leading countries in terms of hosting world-class sporting events (in top-15 globally according to SportCal).
#sporteventDK -
European Athletics approves three bids for 2024 Championships
The European Athletics Executive Board has invited Göteborg in Sweden, the region of Silesia in Poland, and Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to proceed with bidding for the 2024 European Athletics Championships.
The seven-man board made the decision based on their review of an Evaluation Panel’s report and discussions with the prospective bidders.
“An important topic of the individual discussions was the presentation by each bidder on the overall concept of their project for the event focusing on the key aspects of event organisation,” European Athletics said in a statement.
The next stage in this revised bidding process is for the Member Federations and bidding destinations to sign a bid undertaking by March 2019. The submission deadline for the full bidding application is in June 2019.
The pool is set to be reduced further still at that stage. “The goal is to select the two strongest bids, based on the strategic, financial and operational evaluation criteria,” said European Athletics.
The bids will then be presented to the European Athletics Council in April 2020 to decide on where to allocate the hosting rights.
This Council comprises European Athletics President and three Vice Presidents and 13 other elected members, plus the CEO of European Athletics and IAAF President.
All future European Athletics Championships that take place in Summer Olympic years will follow this new process. “This new strategy focuses on individual discussions and a continuous interactive evaluation from the first step of a bidding process between the bidders and European Athletics in order to achieve a common goal of delivering a successful event,” said European Athletics.
The next European Athletics Championships will take place in Paris on 26-30 August 2020, after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Bids for the following European Athletics Championships will take a different route, as it falls outside of a Summer Olympic Year and forms part of the multi-sport European Championships.
The second European Championships takes place in the summer of 2022. For information about bidding, visit https://www.europeanchampionships.com/become-host-city -
Glasgow to host two major athletics events next February
[Source: Glasgow Life] British Athletics has today confirmed Glasgow as the host city for the 2020 British Indoor Season, with TWO major events being staged at the Emirates Arena in February.
The events will mark the start of the 2020 competition countdown to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. World class athletes will compete at Emirates Arena for the Müller Indoor Grand Prix on 15 February 2020, before the city hosts the SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships for the first time ever between 22-23 February 2020, as athletes bid to qualify for March’s IAAF World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.
The Müller Indoor Grand Prix is the number one ranked Indoor meet in the world as the planet’s best athletes arrive in the city for an incredible afternoon of world-class sport.
Major Events Director for British Athletics, Cherry Alexander OBE, says Glasgow is the perfect venue for the 2020 Indoor Season: “The Müller Indoor Grand Prix will be best indoor event ever staged in Scotland, with athletics fans in for a treat as world stars come to town. Olympic and Paralympic year is always very special and I am sure that the atmosphere will be amazing at Emirates Arena.
“Staging the British Athletics Indoor Season in Glasgow truly reflects the UK-wide interest in our sport and I am proud that we are taking the SPAR British Indoor Championships to Scotland for the first time – it is long overdue. This announcement demonstrates the strength of collaboration between British Athletics and our home nations athletics partners”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Scotland is the perfect stage for events and I’m delighted Glasgow has been chosen to host this historic double-header. The city has a proud history of hosting athletics events as shown by the successful delivery of this year’s European Athletics Indoor Championships.
“Events play a key role in our visitor economy and these two outstanding athletics events in Glasgow next February reaffirms the Scotland’s position as a world-leading events destination.”
Billy Garrett, Director of Sport and Events at Glasgow Life said: “Glasgow is one of the world’s top five sporting cities and we’re proud to be the first Scottish host of the SPAR British Indoor Championships, as well as welcoming back the Müller Indoor Grand Prix to the city once again.
“Major events have a track record in getting more people, young and old, interested in sport and, as a city with a history of providing a strong legacy from sporting events, we have no doubt that these February 2020 events will have just as positive an impact.”
Guy Learmonth, Scottish and Great British Athlete, said: “It’s incredible – for British Athletics to share the SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships across the UK, and to bring it to Glasgow for the first time, it’s massive for Scottish athletes and for the fans. With the Müller Indoor Grand Prix as well, crowds are going to see world-class athletics over back-to-back weekends.
“2020 will be such an important year with the Olympics, so to have these events in Scotland act as a springboard for the IAAF World Indoor Championships and for Tokyo as well, it’s just such a good feeling. It’s back home, on my doorstep, so for Scottish Athletics and for Scotland to have this all here – we’ll all step up our game.
“I’ve won two British indoor titles – adding a third on home soil would be huge”.
Ahead of the Müller Indoor Grand Prix Glasgow and SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships heading to Glasgow on 15 February and 22-23 February respectively, fans can register for news updates and ticketing information by signing up to the British Athletics mailing list via www.britishathletics.org.uk/events-and-tickets/2020-event-registration. -
Nairobi completes new ten-city World Athletics Continental Tour
[Source: World Athletics] The full ten-meeting schedule for the 2020 World Athletics Continental Tour (Gold level) has been finalised with the addition of Nairobi, which will be the first African host city.
The pilot year of the USD 2m Gold meeting series will now visit four continents – Africa, Asia, Europe and North America – with the first meeting at Nairobi’s Moi International Stadium on 2 May, followed by Tokyo on May 10. The series will finish in Zagreb in September.
Both South America and Oceania will host Silver level meetings this year with a view to staging Gold level meetings in 2021.
With the completion of the Gold meeting schedule for 2020, World Athletics has also finalised the discipline breakdown for each meeting (download), with a broad events spread to maximise competition opportunities for athletes in all disciplines and all parts of the world.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the impetus for creating the Continental Tour was to provide more competition and earning opportunities for more athletes.
“Between the Wanda Diamond League and the Continental Tour all disciplines will be catered for and many more athletes will have access to top class competition,’’ he said.
Fittingly, given the tradition of African distance runners, Nairobi will stage the 3000m steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m for men and women as part of its programme. This is expected to be the highest quality senior international meeting to be held in Kenya’s history.
Continental Tour
The Continental Tour will be divided into three levels – Gold, Silver and Bronze – whose status will be determined by the quality of competition and prize money on offer.
World Athletics is investing in the Gold level meetings, which will each offer $US200,000 in prize money, to increase the number of high quality competitive opportunities available to showcase our sport’s best athletes.
Area associations will be responsible for managing the Silver ($US75,000 prize money) and Bronze level competitions ($US25,000). There will be ten Silver and up to 50 Bronze meetings.
Those disciplines that are not included in this year’s Wanda Diamond League final – 200m, 3000m steeplechase, triple jump, discus – will be core events in the Continental Tour Gold meetings, as will the hammer throw. Each will have guaranteed prize money of $US20,000 at each meeting.
Performances in those events will attract the same level of world ranking points as the core Diamond League disciplines, and the overall tour winners will receive wildcard entry to the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2021.
Host broadcasters have been appointed for each meeting and Infront, the tour’s international TV rights holder, will sell the rights into markets around the world.
The full 10 meet schedule for the Continental Tour Gold is as follows:
2 May – Nairobi KEN (Africa)
10 May – Tokyo JPN (Asia)
13 May – Nanjing CHN (Asia)
22 May – Ostrava CZE (Europe)
1 June – Hengelo NED (Europe)
9 June – Turku FIN (Europe)
13 June – Kingston JAM (North America)
7 July- Szekesfehervar HUN (Europe)
6 September – Silesia POL (Europe)
15 September – Zagreb CRO (Europe)
The current schedule of Continental Tour Silver level meetings is as follows:
20 March – Queensland Track Classic, Brisbane AUS (Oceania)
4 April – Grenada International Invitational, St. George GRN (North America)
2 May – Jamaica International Invitational, Kingston JAM (North America)
17 May – Grande Premio Brasil Caixa de Atletismo, Sao Paolo BRA (South America)
24 May – Janusz Kusocinski Memorial, Chorzów POL (Europe)
6 June – Cayman Islands Invitational, George Town CAY (North America)
11 June – Samorin, Samorin SVK (Europe)
19 June – Meeting of Madrid, Madrid ESP (Europe)
1 July – Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern, Luzern SUI (Europe)
8 September – 56th Palio Citta della Quercia, Rovereto ITA (Europe)
13 September – ISTAF Berlin, Berlin GER (Europe)