UPDATE - European Athletics · GBR, Ken Van Deyck BEL, Hansjörg Wirz SUI. Design, Production: AMK...

UPDATE Newsletter of European Athletics

1 | 08 June

FAREWELL EUROPEAN CUPHELLO TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009

2 EDITORIAL Hansjörg Wirz, President European Athletics

4 The UPDATES Russian Indoor Double

7 EDUCATION Moving Forward Together

8 COMPETITION SPAR European

Team Championships

10 MAGAZINE Márton István Gyulai

in the spotlight

12 HISTORY Retro European Athlete

of the Year

14 CORPORATE European Athletics Convention

and “The Athletics Oscars”

16 STATE OF SPORT Director General’s State of the Sport

18 SPONSORS Meet our Sponsors...

19 PREVIEW Curtain call for the Cup

Newsletter of European Athletics 1|08 UPDATE 2 www.european-athletics.org

EDITORIAL

IMPRESSUM

European AthleticsAssociation Européenned’Athlétisme

President: Hansjörg Wirz SUIVice Presidents: Jose Luis de Carlos ESP, Svein Arne Hansen NORTreasurer: Karel Pilny CZEDirector General: Christian Milz SUI

Offi ce:Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 18CH-1003 LausanneSwitzerlandPhone +41 (0)21 313 43 50Fax +41 (0)21 313 43 51offi [email protected]

“UPDATE” is published by European Athletics

Co-ordination:Pierce O’Callaghan IRLKirsty Anderson GBREuropean Athletics Communication DepartmentPhone +41 (0)21 313 [email protected]

Text, Photos:Kirsty Anderson GBR, DPA, Bill Glad GBR, Márton István Gyulai HUN, Andy Heading GBR, Lars Kaiser GER, Christiane Maillard SUI, Celia Mendez POR, Christian Milz SUI, Phil Minshull GBR, Pierce O’Callaghan IRL, David Powell GBR, Ken Van Deyck BEL, Hansjörg Wirz SUI.

Design, Production:AMK Atelier für Marketingund KommunikationAmstutzstrasse 14CH-6010 Kriens, SwitzerlandPhone +41 (0)41 320 00 72Fax +41 (0)41 320 00 [email protected]

Print:Multicolor Print AGCH-6340 Baar, Switzerland

Welcome to the latest edition of Update!

The focus of all our members has switched from the action of the indoor and cross country seasons in the winter months, to this summer’s eagerly awaited outdoor season and we are all now fi rmly waiting for the competition on the track and fi eld, culminating in the Olympic Games in Beijing in August.

Of course, it goes without saying our competitions are the life-blood and “raison d’ être” of our sport.

However, we are living

in an ever changing world and as you are no doubt aware, the media in recent

Hansjörg Wirz | President, European Athletics

weeks has been full of stories of doping cases from the past, especially in the USA, which, whether we like it or not, has a negative effect on our activities in Europe.

One of the key pillars on which I have built my presidency for the next four years has been an updating of the Competition System in Europe in combination with a strong line on doping. The IAAF has offered us much assistance in this challenge, and has moved closer to letting the continental areas have more control of their competition structure.

Historically, Europe has always held a strong position in world athletics and this is something I wish to see continue. However, it is clear to us all that our competition system needs to be brought up to modern day requirements. The creation of the European Team Championships next year has been covered extensively in this edition of Update,

but I would like to pass some personal comments on this exciting development.

In life, as in sport, change can cause people to be uncomfortable and uncertain about the unknown. However, the moment you decide to welcome change and the untold good it can bring, you will discover that you will always have something to look forward to!

The changes for this competition alone are among the most innovative to have happened in athletics for many years and are in a direct response to the needs of TV, spectators, and the members of the general public.

Central to this of course are the needs of the athletes and the feedback we have received from them is that the best mentally prepared athlete should still win on the day, which is within everyone’s interest.

“The changes for this competition alone are among the mostinnovative to have happened in athletics for many years “

UPDATE 1|08 Newsletter of European Athletics 3www.european-athletics.org

EDITORIAL

I can appreciate that there is some nervousness among some athletes and coaches especially, but I have little doubt that the concept will be an unrivalled success and one we can all be proud of in the future.

Along with this, is the on-going work for the additional European Athletics Championships, which is set to take place in 2012. Although some details remain to be fi nalised, we are now moving into the implementation phase of our preparations.

Recent experience has shown that some athletes tend to focus solely on the Olympics every four years, however we have received positive feedback from all our partners and athletes and I have no doubt that this new event will be a resounding success for all concerned.

In parallel to this, we are also progressing on our plans to restructure the one-day meetings calendar, following the decision taken by the IAAF Congress in Osaka last August to grant more control of this process to the relevant Area Associations. It is certainly not an easy challenge, but one that is badly needed if we are to gain more media coverage and wide spread understanding for our sport.

Linked with these visions is the need to take a stronger line on doping as a fully integrated part of the competition system by strengthening the transparency and credibility of our Anti-Doping activities.

Our slogan of “Your Sport for Life” is applicable to many different forms of

Stefan Holm (SWE)

Olympic and European Champion High Jump

Member of European Athletics

Athletes Commission

European AthleticsAnti-Doping EducationProgramme

To dope is to lie.

Athletes ommmisAthle Co

Mikaela Ingberg (FIN)World and European bronze medalistMember of European AthleticsAthletes Commission

European AthleticsAnti-Doping EducationProgramme

Stay clean.

For more information about European Athletics Anti-doping initiatives checkout the new Medical / Anti-doping Zone on the European Athletics website.

communication; however, I would like to leave you with one fi nal thought.

Performance enhancing products are banned for a number of reasons such as fairness, credibility and equal treatment, but in addition the misuse of these dangerous products can cause serious health problems later in life.

We are confi dent that with your continued support, we are on the right path to educating the future generation of European athletes about the unfairness and dangers of performance enhancing drugs and encouraging them to enjoy a lifetime

of health, happiness and fulfi lment in our sport.

I wish you all an enjoyable and successful summer and look forward to European athletes reigning supreme in Beijing in August!

“Linked with these visions is the need to take a stronger line on doping as a fully integrated part of the competition system“


THE UPDATES

The impressive crowds packed inside the CSKA Arena, were elated as the hosts picked up no less than 11 maximum point hauls from an action packed programme of 19 events in just over two hours of head-spinning entertainment.

The day produced a number of World-class performances and served up three new Cup records and one more equaled Cup record.

The thunderous applause in Moscow’s historic

CSKA Arena, left little doubt about the

winners of the 4th edition of the European

Indoor Cup as host nation Russia swept

comprehensive victories in both the men and

women’s competitions.

European Athletics Indoor Cup Moscow (RUS), 16.02.08MEN Team ResultsRUSSIA 67SPAIN 49ITALY 46

WOMEN Team ResultsRUSSIA 77GERMANY 53SPAIN 50

the fourth edition of the cup by a record 24-point margin from Germany.

The hosts were simply untouchable, winning six out of the 10 events and only once fi nishing out of the top three. Yet despite the day having a distinctly Russian fl avour, the performance of the cup belonged to rising German High Jump star Ariane Friedrich who cleared 2.00m for the second time in her career to take all nine points.

The 24-year-old Friedrich let out a scream of delight after wriggling over the bar at her third attempt at the height to match the mark she cleared for the fi rst time in her life in Glasgow in January.

Russian double

Johan Wissman (SWE) winning the 400m.

Which Olympic & World Champion Decathlete is at his happiest on a golf course or lounging in his homepants?

For the answer and more check out European Athletics 5-minute interviewson the Fan Zone of our website!

The most eye-catching performance of the competition belonged to Russian Champion Yevgeniy Borisov, who arrived as a World-class 60m Hurdler by shattering his previous best by 0.14 to post a new Russian and European Cup record of 7.44.

Spain also enjoyed a fi ne competition to fi nish second and once again revealed their enviable strength in depth in their endurance events by winning the 800m through Luis Alberto Marco (1.49.58) and the 1500m through Diego Ruiz (3:48.31).

While Russia dominated to win by a massive margin of 18 points and claim the men’s competition for the fi rst time, Spain and Italy must also be given credit for their encouraging performance to fi nish second and third, respectively.

On the women’s side, Russia once again revealed their total dominance of European competition with a fourth straight win in

s

UPDATE 1|08 Newsletter of European Athletics www.european-athletics.org 5

Spain’s World Indoor bronze medallist Ruth Beitia had to settle for second with 1.98m in a high-class competition, although the World Championship silver medallist Antonietta di Martino, a little rusty in her fi rst competition of the indoor season failed to progress beyond 1.92m for fourth.

On the track, 2002 European 400m Champion Oleysa Zykina, the World No.1, confi rmed her status by cruising to a routine success in the 400m in 51.91, while her team-mate Svetlana Nabokina

RESULTS

European Cup 10,000mIstanbul (TUR), 12.04.08MEN 1 Selim Bayrak TUR 27:47.75 NR PB 2 Carles Castillejo ESP 28:07.55 SB 3 Oleg Kulkov RUS 28:48.55 SB

Team ResultsRUSSIA 1:26:47.32SPAIN 1:27:31.71ITALY 1:28:36.56

WOMEN1 Elvan Abeylegesse TUR 31:36.33 SB 2 Lornah Kiplagat NED 31:53.72 SB 3 Hilda Kibet NED 32:05.49 PB

Team ResultsBELARUS 1:40.41.27TURKEY 1:42.27.62

European Cup Winter Throwing Split (CRO), 15-16.03.08MEN Team Results1. GER Germany 43122. RUS Russia 42613. BLR Belarus 4243

WOMEN Team Results1. ITA Italy 42202. GER Germany 42043. ROU Romania 4094

repelled a later charge from German Verena Sailer, the European U23 100m Champion, to take the women’s 60m by 0.02 in 7.24.

Behind the all-conquering hosts, Germany will be encouraged by their efforts to fi nish second on 53 points and Spain backed up their second place in the men’s competition with a solid third in the women’s with a 50 point haul.

Tatyana Kivimyagi (RUS) in the High Jump.


THE UPDATES

ON THE RECORD…

European Indoor Records set in 2008as at 25 May 2008

Women

1500m 3:58.05* Yelena SOBOLEVA RUS 82 Moskva 10.02

1500m 3:57.71* Yelena SOBOLEVA RUS 82 Valencia 09.03

60m H 7.68* Susanna KALLUR SWE 81 Karlsruhe 10.02

Pole Vault 4.95i* Yelena ISINBAYEVA RUS 82 Donetsk 16.02.

European outdoor records set in 2008 Men (50km race walk)

3:34.14 */+ Denis NIZHGORODOV RUS 26.7.80 Cheboksary 11.5.08

Junior Men (10km race walk)

39:57 */+ Aleksey BARTSAYKIN RUS 22.3.89 Cheboksary 20.5.07

* also world record+ awaiting ratifi cation

Note: Indoor records which are better than current outdoor records are being considered as

European outdoor records if in accordance with IAAF rule 260.18 (a)

IN MEMORIAMEuropean Athletics is very sad to announce the passing of a number of long serving, and greatly missed, members of the European Athletics family.

– Vincenzo Lombardo, ITA– Cesare Beccalli, ITA– Andrey Kurennoy, RUS– Maryvonne Samson Dupureur, FRA– Dario Martin, ESP– Cuneyt Koryurek, TUR– Armando Libotte, SUI– Aleksandrs Stavro, LAT– Jean Frauenlob, SUI– Sergey Reutov, RUS

COMMITTEE AND COMMISSION UPDATEEuropean Athletics is pleased to welcome Márton István Gyulai, General Secretary of the Hungarian Athletics Association, and Danish Shot Put and Javelin record holder, Christina Scherwin as the newest members of European Athletics Refection Commission and Athletes Commission.

STAFF UPDATEHungarian Ede Rutkovszky (30), will take up position as European Athletics Competition Coordinator on 1st Aug 2008. Ede has a wide experience in Event Management and technical coordination of events, and was the LOC Event Manager for our last U23 Championships in Debrecen. He is a former professional Triathlete and several-time Hungarian Champion. In addition to his mother tongue Hungarian, he speaks English and Russian. Ede will replace Marcel Wakim who is joining another sports organisation in Lausanne.

FEDERATION UPDATE…

Country President CEO/ General Secretary

Denmark Mr Søren B. Henriksen

Iceland Mrs Asdis Halla Bragadottir

Ireland Mr Liam Hennessy Ms. Mary Coghlan

Latvia Mr Voldemars Lusis

Serbia Mr Velimir Ilic Mr Slobodan Brankovic

Sweden Mr Lennart Karlberg

Due to unseasonably wet weather conditions experienced in Belgium during the springtime, European Athletics has requested that the Belgian Athletic Federation (KBAB) look for an alternative venue for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships, which were originally due to take place in Oostende on December 14, 2008.

The record levels of rainfall which fell in Northern Europe since the beginning of the year has meant that planned renovation works on the circuit at the Sportpark De Schorre in Oostende suffered major delays and therefore put the success of the event in doubt.

After initial concerns were raised about the venue earlier this year, a delegation

2008 SPAR European Cross Country Championships Update

of European Athletics experts visited the course in May and set a deadline for a guarantee of a return to its previous condition. This was not possible, and subsequently European Athletics informed the Belgian authorities of the need to fi nd a different venue in Belgium.

Hansjörg Wirz, the President of European Athletics said “We are disappointed to have to make this decision as I know from previous experience that Oostende has a great tradition in hosting major events, especially the 2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, which were successfully organised after being awarded the event just 3 weeks before the Championships were due to commence”.

“However, the risk of not having perfect conditions for the athletes was just too high on this occasion. The success of this event is paramount to European Athletics and we are confi dent that the Belgian authorities will propose another venue which will ensure the 2008 edition will remain in Belgium and be a big success” he added.

Nancy Bourgoignie, the Sports Offi cer for the City expressed her great regret about the decision as the city authorities had made big efforts to transform the Sportpark De Schorre into a beautiful location for sporting events like the SPAR European Cross Country Championships.

She did however confi rm that the city looks forward to being able to host events like the SPAR European Cross Country Championship or the World Cross Country Championship in the future.

A decision on a venue for the 2008 SPAR European cross Country Championships will be confi rmed in the near future.


EDUCATION

Moving Forward Together“The best ever” is how President Hansjörg Wirz described the sixth edition of the European Athletics Chief Executive Offi cers Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, 19-20 April, when leaders from a record 44 Member Federations gathered to discuss the implementation of key areas of the sport’s strategy for the coming years.

The focus of the weekend was on the big picture questions of communications, competition and development. According to Wirz, good progress was made in explaining the detail of the emerging plans in these areas and strengthening the cooperation that will be necessary for their implementation.

“The discussions I heard and the feedback I received from participants were both very positive,” he said. “It is clear to me that our federation leaders have embraced the ideas we’ve been putting forward about restructuring the competition system and they are ready to work closely with us on new projects and ideas in other areas.”

“Just as important was the atmosphere of friendship and cooperation we experienced over the weekend. There was a real feeling that everyone in European Athletics can work as a team with the shared purpose of strengthening the sport.”

As in previous editions of the biennial conference, the programme featured a mixture of presentations and workshop discussions. On Day One, the morning’s main presentation was given by Director General Christian Milz, who outlined the new brand and communications strategy and explained the slogan “Your Sport For Life”.

That afternoon, Vice President José Luis de Carlos gave an update on the events and competition strategy, with special attention to the new structure for the one-day meetings system.

Day Two opened with an overview of the plans for European Athletics’ development programme given by Vice President Sven Arne Hansen. He was followed by Kristin Felde, the General Secretary of the Norwegian Ski Federation, who shared her views on the promotion of women in sports leadership positions, and then by Council Member Sylvia Barlag, who introduced the concept of a European Athletics award to recognise special contributions by women leaders in athletics.

Each of the three half-day sessions included workshops in which fi ve groups of participants discussed issues related to the main presentations. These were followed by plenary reports from each group and panel discussions, with panels made up of those in European Athletics who will be responsible for managing the implementation of the strategy and outside experts.

All the main presentations as well as the key points from the workshop discussions can be downloaded from the development section of the European Athletics website www.european-athletics.org.

... “everyone in European Athletics can work as a team with the shared purpose of strengthening the sport.”

President Hanjorg Wirz

COMPETITION


Each league within the Championship series will consist of 20 events for men and 20 events for women, including 2 relay events.

Additionally, many of the individual track and fi eld events will see some of the most innovative changes ever introduced to the sport of athletics!

SPAR European

Team ChampionshipsQualifi cation system for 2009The creation of the various leagues in 2009 will be completed on the basis of the results of the European Cups in 2008. Every athlete’s performance in all 40 events of the programme will therefore be crucial to decide their country’s position in one of the 4 leagues in 2009.The team ranking for the distribution in the 4 leagues in 2009 will be known immediately after the 2008 and last edition of the European Cups.

On the Road to 2009Test events will take place throughout the summer of 2008.

In 2009, European Athletics is creating a new and exciting

competition, open to all 50 European nations known as the

COMPETITION

9

For more detailed information and a special zone on the event go to

www.european-athletics.org

The new competition promises:

UNPREDICTABILITY FOR ATHLETES & TV VIEWERS!• There will be 12 teams in the top 2 divisions with even more

focus on the team positions and team points than the individual results.

ONLY ONE WINNER!• Team scores calculated by combination of men and women’s

points

EUROPEAN NATION’S RANKING FROM 1-50!• The results will then produce a European Athletics nation’s

ranking list from 1-50; the fi rst time this has ever been accurately done.

CLEAR COMPETITION FORMAT!• There will be four clearly distinct leagues within the new team

Championship series: Super League, First, Second & Third Leagues.

DRAMATIC RELEGATION & PROMOTION BATTLES!• There will be 3 teams relegated from and promoted to the

Super League on an annual basis.• Two teams will also be relegated in the other leagues

EXCITING NEW RULES!• The traditional rules in the long distance track events and the

fi eld events have been modifi ed to create more excitement and drama.


MAGAZINE

The son, and namesake, of former IAAF General Secretary István Gyulai, you could say the post of General Secretary of the Hungarian Athletic Association (HAA) was something of a right of passage for Marton, but this young, dynamic administrator has a lot more than a family name as his credentials. European Athletics puts Marton István Gyulai in the spotlight...

You are a young, highly educated, multi-lingual, Olympian, out of all the possible careers you could have entered why did you choose athletics administration?«I am not at all a ‘sit-behind-the-desk’ geeky offi ce person. I tried working in banks, selling commercials at TV stations etc, and none of that worked for me. The only area where I don’t mind working in an offi ce, is when I’m organising sport events. I have been doing this (organising and running sporting events) since 2001 and have had a lot of fun doing so. Mind you, it was not only athletics that I worked with, but golf, tennis, water-polo, football, sailing, formula-1, so I really considered a wide array of possibilities before settling for athletics. I guess though it was kind of a given as I grew up in athletics - both my father and my brother were Olympians, many times national champions, and my Father also worked for national TV in Hungary as a sports announcer mainly at athletics events, so naturally I watched every meeting I could, even when I was 6 years old!»

Márton István Gyulai in the spotlight

28-years-old, tall, dark and charismatic, with a double degree

from the University of Notre Dame (USA), Captain and Pilot

of Hungarian Bobsled Team in two Olympics, Sports

commentator on Eurosport Hungary… this is not an advert

for Bachelor of the Year, but the resume of one of European

Athletics newest and youngest federation leaders!

Describe a typical day’s work in your role as General Secretary.«A typical day? For most of the year it starts at sunrise and ends at sunset. I try and leave the offi ce as much as I can, go to competitions, even visit athletes trainings, meet with the various clubs, domestic federations, meet with partners, government offi cials and our door is always open! We have 7 people working in the offi ce, 4 women and 3 men and the atmosphere is very good. We laugh a lot and even when we are tired and worn out, little jokes do the trick and allow us to go on-and-on working into the late hours.»

Did your father give you any advice about getting involved in athletics?«Unfortunately we never had the chance to talk about this in detail. He always encouraged me to get involved in sports management, although he would very much have liked me to become a lawyer. But after he realised that there was little chance of me going to Law School, sports management/marketing seemed a fi tting choice. He did share quite a bit of his daily worries and tasks with us, but at the time I don’t think he seriously considered any of us to be in a similar role one day.»

“…you cannot be great at your work unless you really love it and feel that it is your very own”


MAGAZINE

What is your vision for Hungarian Athletics?«We are working on a 5 year plan. The HAA is building a medium-term strategy that will take us through to the London 2012 Olympic Games. There are several areas that need urgent improvements, such as the amount and quality of our coaches, the facilities around the country, the diminishing number of athletes in all age-groups, the non-existent sponsors in the sport, the declining media exposure and the publicity our sport gets. The goal is to restore Hungarian athletics to its 1980s status, both in terms of recognition, and in the quality of our competitions and results.»

European Athletics is committed to improving youth engagement with athletics, how do you think our sport could become more appealing to young people? «In Hungary, one aspect of our medium-term strategy is to make athletics more attractive not only to young athletes, but to parents as well. It will always be diffi cult to attract children from team sports, especially football, basketball, handball or water polo. These sports get more publicity, and have well established stars that kids admire. We should not only make sure that such stars exist in our sport, but also think of reasons why a parent would encourage his/her child to become an athlete. In Hungary we started working with cities and universities to ensure that athletes have various opportunities once they graduate from high-school, and we will add the corporate club to this in the near future. This would allow companies that sponsor athletics in Hungary to really get to know our athletes. This way in a long-term cooperation there will be a comfortable relationship between the athlete and the company, and once the athlete retires, they could pursue a career with the company that has been by their sides for the past decade or so. We really feel it is important to set up all the possible supports to make

athletics an appealing sport for kids to get involved with and stay with!»

Any advice for someone wanting to get involved in athletics administration?«Yes! If they are very committed and are willing to give up their relaxed private life for a good cause then we are always looking for a few good men to give us a hand. One thing will never change; you cannot be great at your work unless you really love it and feel that it is your very own…so before joining an Athletics Federation, make sure you are absolutely obsessed about athletics!»

When you are not living and breathing athletics what are your other interests?«There is no time when I live without athletics! Jokes aside, I am very much a family person. I love spending time with my girlfriend and her son, as well as with my brother and two sisters. We are quite a big family with Christmas dinners involving over thirty people so there is never time when I am alone. Besides the family, sport is a key element in my life. I play football twice a week with friends from primary school and try and play tennis once a week. At the weekends I ride my motorbike or go out into the countryside, I prefer active relaxing! The problem is that most of the time I spend away from athletics is occupied by some of my other businesses... I live by the saying, ‘work now, rest later’.

Hungary’s European Hammer Champion 2002, Adrian Annus Hungary’s Olympic Javelin Champion 1968, Angela Nemeth

“The goal is to restore Hungarian athletics to its 1980s status, both in terms of recognition, and in the quality of our competitions and results.”

Which European gold medallist plans to open a restaurant after retiring from athletics?

For the answer and more check out European Athletics 5-minute interviews on the Fan Zone of our website!

Newsletter of European Athletics 1|08 UPDATE

HISTORY

Retro European

Athlete of the YearOne is already an established legend of athletics, the other has yet to reach the full bloom of her talent. The year is 1998 and a new outdoor season is about to begin. For Jonathan Edwards, three years on from a series of stunning feats in the Triple Jump, another championship triumph is overdue. For Christine Arron, it is time to escape the house of potential and move into the French hall of fame. On the subject of Edwards, people are asking: ‘How long will his extraordinary World record last?” Ten years, twenty, thirty, forever? In the seaside town of his childhood – Ilfracombe, England – the distance, 18.29m, is marked out on the promenade. Tourists shake their heads in disbelief as they try a Triple Jump and land short of Edwards’ step phase. In 1995 Edwards broke the World record three times – twice in the fi nal of the World Championships in Gothenburg – and stretched the longest wind-aided mark to 18.43m. Oh, the transformation. A year earlier, at the European Championships in Helsinki, he had been agonising over the worth of ‘jumping into a sandpit for a living’. Now, three years on from his apotheosis, Edwards has begun to doubt himself again. From World Champion in 1995, he has had to settle for Olympic silver in Atlanta in 1996, behind America’s Kenny

Winning the coveted title of European

Athlete of the Year is no mean feat! Since

it’s inception in 1993, its select role call has

included World legends like Colin Jackson

(GBR), Sonia O’Sullivan (IRL) Virilijus Alekna

(LTU), and a 20-year-old Carolina Kluft (SWE).

In this Olympic year, the competition to be

awarded King and Queen of the Continent

will be tougher than ever! To celebrate the

enduring success of this title, British journalist

and athletics obsessive David Powell, looks

back ten years to the 1998 winners and what

they have gone on to achieve since…

Harrison, and World Championships silver in Athens 1997, behind Cuba’s Yoelvis Quesada. “I realised after 1995 that I might never jump 18m again and, for two years, I have lived with that reality,” Edwards recalled going into 1998. Taking his medal back to his room in Athens, Edwards slumped on his bed and told team-mate Roger Black: “It means nothing”. But, at the Bislett Games in Oslo, in July 1998, Edwards rediscovered his joie de vivre, jumping 18.01m. And so he fanned the fl ames of a season which would see him and Arron crowned European Athletes of the Year following their triumphs at the European Championships in Budapest. Today, 10 years on, and fi ve summers after his retirement, Edwards remains committed to athletics, a perfect example of the European Athletics ‘Your Sport For Life’ slogan. He is a television presenter, European Athletics Council Member and 2012 London Olympics organising committee board member. “Athletics remains part of my life primarily because I love it,” Edwards, now 42, told Update. “There is still something captivating about its purity (hence why doping is so damaging) – the simple

12 www.european-athletics.org

“Athletics remains part of my life primarily because I love it.”


HISTORY

pursuit of excellence, the art of what is possible in terms of physical performance – the fastest, the furthest, the highest. “I think the theme speaks for itself…whoever you are, you can develop a lifelong relationship with the sport of athletics, whether it be watching, competing, judging, coaching, administering, even commentating!” Although injury denied Edwards a share of the $1m Golden League jackpot in 1998, his Budapest victory, with a championship record 17.99m, was greater reward than any cash prize. “If I’d gone on to win the jackpot in Moscow it would have been great,” Edwards told Update at the time. “But it would not have begun to compare with what I felt like in Budapest. “If I’d won a share of say $250,000 it would have been a case of: “Wow, that’s a lot of money!’ But it would have been nothing like the sensations of Budapest - the British fl ags waving all around the stadium, the British supporters cheering every success, nine gold medals won by our little country - so many on that last evening, we were almost colliding on our laps of honour. Those memories are the stuff of dreams. You simply cannot buy them.” Today Edwards recalls Budapest as if it was yesterday. “Budapest ranked alongside Stuttgart (World Championships) in 1993 for the high watermark of British

performance while I was competing and I would be pleasantly surprised were we ever to see their like again! “On a personal level, I certainly cherished my gold after the two silvers of the previous years, and the distance was also an important factor, showing that Gothenburg-like performances were still a possibility. In terms of my career, it was my only European gold and of course enabled me to complete the set (Olympic, World, European, Commonwealth) when I won in Manchester 2002 (at the Commonwealth Games).” He took Olympic gold at Sydney 2000, Still living in Newcastle, with his wife, Alison, and two sons, Sam (15) and Nathan (13), his boys “are more into cricket than athletics.” Asked whether he is ever tempted these days to visit the track on a quiet day to see how far he can jump, he said with good humour: “I know, if I jumped, it would be a car wreck!” Arron, now 34, continues to compete while bringing up her six-year-old son, Ethan. But, as much as injuries held the French sprinter back from fulfi lling her potential before 1998, so has her physical fragility denied her repeating the same level since. Hailed as the new Marie-Jose Perec, she fi nally went some way towards that in 1997 breaking the French Indoor 200m record and fi nishing fourth in the 100m at the World Championships. But, 12 months later, at 24, nobody could ignore her.

Put simply, Arron was the superstar of the European Championships in Budapest. She followed a majestic 100m victory, in a continental record 10.73, with an awesome sprint relay leg to take France to gold. Although Arron has had further successes along the way – anchoring France to relay gold in their home World Championships in 2003 and double bronze at 100/200m in the 2005 World Championships – her achievements have been overshadowed by the parallel career of the discredited Marion Jones. Arron’s time in Budapest, 10 years on, still ranks her third among all-time best performers behind Americans Florence Griffi th-Joyner (10.49) and Jones (10.65). The fl ying French woman will always have reason to cherish her golden memories of Budapest 1998.

European Athletics Council Member, LOCOG Board Member and huge supporter of grassroots athletics, Jonathan Edwards.

Christine Arron

Jonathan Edwards


CORPORATE

European Athletics Convention and

“The Athletics Oscars”

The historic Koepelkerk - 17th century domed church in Amsterdam will be the venue for the fi rst European Athletics Awards dinner.

Change is in the air at European Athletics! Our next event to

undergo something of an image make-over is the European

Athletics Calendar Conference, which from this October will be

known as the European Athletics Convention – a more media

friendly and coherent name to describe a very busy event which

does a whole lot more than arrange a calendar!

The new European Athletics Convention has been designed to better support our Member Federations; offering opportunities for education, networking and socialising, along with the usual meetings and calendar planning activities.

In addition to the European Athletics Calendar Conference and the Forum of Member Federation Leaders, European Athletics Convention 2008 will include two new forums: – One-Day Meeting Organisers– High Performance Management

There will also be a number of different meetings to encompass all European Athletics stakeholders; these

will include the Athletes Representatives meeting, Euro Meetings General Assembly, Balkan Athletic Association meeting, and European Athletics Athletes’ Commission meeting.

Finally, on the last night of the Convention, European Athletics is organising a new-look, large scale, Awards Dinner – a unique evening for the entire European Athletics family and invited media.

This year’s European Athletics Convention will take place in Amsterdam/NED from 16 to 18 October 2008. Registration information and a detailed programme of events, with information on each of the various meetings being co-ordinated, will be sent to the European Athletics family at the end of June. All details will also be available on our website.

“The Athletics Oscars”Following the success of last year’s inaugural European Athletics Awards Night in Malta, where the mother of European Athletics Male Rising Star of 2007, Andrew Howe, gasped, “This means the world to us – it’s the athletics equivalent of the Oscars!”

European Athletics was determined to grow the event, so this year we are delighted that the presentations for the Waterford Crystal European Athlete’s of the Year 2008, the Waterford Crystal European Athletics Rising Stars and European Athletics Innovation Award, will mark the culmination of the European Athletics Convention 2008 with an Awards Dinner in the historic Koepelkerk – a magnifi cent 17th century domed church in Amsterdam.

“This means the world to us – it’s the athletics equivalent of the Oscars!”

Newsletter of European Athletics 1|08 UPDATE


Waterford Crystal European Athletics Rising Star Award

CORPORATE

Who: Europe’s best male and female athlete of 2008

The selection: list of nominations compiled by selecting the top European athletes of 2008 in each event, based largely on performances in the major championships and most importantly at the Olympic Games (along with the various European Athletes of the Month winners since January 2008, plus other exceptional athletes).

The vote: on-line poll open in early September on the European Athletics website. Each voter must select their fi ve preferred athletes and rank them in order of priority.

Who votes: votes from the general public, media, European Athletics Member Federations, and an expert panel – each groups result counts for one quarter of the athlete’s fi nal score. *

Who: Europe’s most promising young (U23) male and female athletes of 2008 The selection: list of nominations compiled by selecting the top European U23 athletes of 2008 in each event, based largely on performances in the major championships and most importantly at the Olympic Games (along with the various European Athletes of the Month winners since January 2008, plus other exceptional athletes).

The vote: on-line poll open in early September on the European Athletics website. Each voter must select their fi ve preferred athletes and rank them in order of priority.

Who votes: votes from the general public, media, European Athletics Member Federations, and an expert panel – each groups result counts for one quarter of the athlete’s fi nal score. *

*Members of the public who vote will be automatically entered into a prediction competition. Entrants who have voted for the top three male and female athletes in the correct order in the poll will be entered into a draw to win a paid trip for two to the European Athletics indoor Championships in Torino, Italy on March 6-8 2009. There will also be some runners-up prizes.

Waterford Crystal European Athlete of the Year

What: An award designed to encourage research leading to the promotion and development of the sport of athletics.

Who: Sport scientists, academics and coaches from European countries who have carried out original research on any aspect of athletics whether previously published or not.

The selection: Projects are judged by a European Athletics appointed Awards Jury, which evaluates them for their quality and practical application to the sport.

The 2008 entries are currently being evaluated and prizes will be awarded at European Athletics Convention 2008.

European Athletics Innovation Award


STATE OF SPORT

It is hard to believe that we are already in June 2008, ready to embrace what promises to be a truly memorable summer of athletics!

Europe’s top Athletes are all reaching the peak of their training, ready to compete in the fi nal edition of the SPAR European Cup in Annecy in the middle of June, and of course the Beijing Olympic Games in August, where all eyes will be looking to the incredible “Birds Nest” stadium for the World’s next great sporting Champion.

Closer to home, Europe’s top Athletic Administrators are also extremely busy, and we are very happy with the way European Athletics various committees and commissions are supporting the Council to progress the sport to meet the demands of todays ever more demanding consumer.

European Athletics Indoor Cup:The European Athletics Indoor Cup was created in 2003 after requests from our Member Federations to provide a high level indoor competition in the years between the European Athletics Indoor Championships.

Director General’s State of the SportAfter an initial success, it seems the Member Federations have voted with their feet and opted to either stay away from the competition or send young, developmental teams, which we have discovered do not attract the media, the crowds, or exciting high level competition.

In February of this year, the 4th European Athletics Indoor Cup took place in Moscow and unfortunately was not up to the standard required at European level for a number of reasons: 1) The level of athletes was not what it could have been 2) Some of the best teams in Europe did not even participate 3) As a result of these reasons, there was a general lack of media and spectator interest.

Following this, we have called a meeting of the top 10 Member Federations to engage with them and to discover if this competition is still seen as having value, and is needed by them.

The beliefs of the European Athletics Executive Committee and Council are that the competition brings numerous benefi ts to our members but we need more of a commitment from the country’s concerned to ensure its viable future.

2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships:The countdown continues for our next major event which is the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Torino in March 6-8 2009.

Coinciding with the 120th European Athletics Council Meeting in Torino, the LOC updated on progress made to date and answered all questions relating to the preparations for the event. Under the leadership of IAAF Council member Anna Riccardi, we have every confi dence that the LOC will be in a position to achieve their goals of fi lling the stadium in each of the 3 days of competition.

The Pala Oval Arena, where the speed skating events took place at the Winter Olympics in 2006 holds exciting possibilities and with a capacity of 6,000 spectators promises to a magical place to be during the Championships.

European Cup 10,000mThe European Cup 10,000m was introduced in 1997 as a result of performance concerns highlighted by our Member Federations and like the Indoor Cup achieved a high level of results in the early years.

However, in recent years, it has become clear that the event was not meeting the demands of Europe’s top 10,000m runners and that the competition needed a re-think. After all, I think everyone is aware of the urgent need to encourage, promote and foster a stronger environment for middle and long distance running in Europe.

Following this, it has been decided that the event would now take place at the end of May or the beginning of June and possibly as part of an existing meeting. The reasons are simple and logical; the weather conditions will be more favourable all over Europe and more athletes will be looking to qualify at that early part of the summer season.

Europe has produced many great 10,000m runners in the past and I hope we are proved right that there is a need for an event of this nature and that is is supported by both our federations and athletes alike.


STATE OF SPORT

Athletes Commission:The recent meeting of the European Athletics Council in Torino gave its backing to a request by the Athletes Commission to have a member present on the Competition Committee.

This athlete will now attend the next Competition meeting which will be held in Prague in September and will play an important role especially as we are trying to modernise our competition programme.

European Athletics Convention:The European Calendar Conference which has traditionally been held in the middle of October to discuss and agree dates for the following year’s events has been in need of adaptation to suit modern requirements.

Following much investigation by both the Executive Committee and key head offi ce staff, the Council has agreed that the scope of activities offered at this important gathering should be expanded and the name changed to refl ect the wider activities on offer.

The Calendar Conference will now be known as the European Athletics Convention with immediate effect, with the fi rst edition taking place in Amsterdam (NED) from October 16-18.

The other motivation to expand the convention was our desire to seek further integration for the different stakeholders within our family and I feel this will be a key reason for the success of the event in October. You will fi nd more information about this event on pg14 and on our website www.europeanathletics.org.

Brand Architecture & Communication Strategy:For some time, in response to recent changes in society and consumer behaviour, we have embarked on a major soul search and rethink of our activities in order to bring the organisation into the future.

European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz and Director General Christian Milz meeting with Mayor of Torino, Sergio Chiamparino, the Director of Sport and Leisure in Torino, Renato Montabone, the President of the Italian Federation Franco Arese and the CEO of the Torino LOC Anna Riccardi.

As part of this process, we have sought feedback from our partners, athletes, Member Federations, Council Members, the media and head offi ce staff to get their opinions as to where the sport is now and where we want it to be in the next 10 years.

Traditionally, we, as an organisation, have tended to focus the vast majority of our resources on organising high performance events in the form of the various European Athletics Championships and Cups.

However, in the course of our research we came to the conclusions that we need to expand the scope of our activities to include closer ties to youth, mass participation events, health and wellbeing, and education initiatives. There was a strong feeling that there was a real need to integrate our elite, high performance values with social values like these, in order to demonstrate our commitment to our new slogan “Your Sport for Life”

Much work remains to be done, but later this year we plan to launch our new strategy which we feel will be of assistance to all our members.

CEO Conference, Frankfurt:As part of this strategy, it gives me great pleasure to report that 44 of our Member Federations sent representatives to our CEO’s Conference in Frankfurt in April.

Now fi rmly established in the calendar to be held on alternative Aprils to the European Athletics Congress, the conference was a major success.

Delegates heard presentations on our strategy for: Communications and Branding, Events and Competition, our Development programme, and some excellent ideas for better integration of Women in Sport.

Working groups after each presentation allowed the delegates to discuss ideas and share opinions and the feedback we received was very encouraging and has shown us that our Member Federations highly value opportunities to learn best practise from each other.

Which World Champion Javelin Thrower lists ‘always look on the bright side of life’ as the soundtrack to her life?

For the answer and more check out European Athletics 5-minute interviews on the Fan Zone of our website!

Newsletter of European Athletics 1|08 UPDATE www.european-athletics.org18

SPONSORS

MEET OUR SPONSORS…

New timing and data processing partner OMEGA out in force in Annecy

The Swiss luxury watchmaker’s timekeeping experts will time and measure the performance of Europe’s top track and fi eld athletes when Europe’s top athletics teams compete for the last Spar European Cup. OMEGA’s experts will deploy a full range of advanced sports timekeeping and measurement equipment, including starting blocks and false-start detection systems and the latest photo-fi nish cameras for the sprints and middle-distance events, and height and distance measurement devices for the fi eld disciplines. OMEGA’s offi cial timekeepers ensure timely delivery of the offi cial results to everyone involved at the Spar European Cup; through competitor displays to the athletes and their support teams and public displays to audiences at the 10000-seat venue. The offi cial results are also delivered in real time to broadcast, network and print media who in turn relay results and commentary to remote audiences around the world.

SPAR is looking forward to the last SPAR European Cup

During the Spar European Cup in Annecy, our photo partner Picture-Alliance sets out to produce spectacular event photography. Production by internationally experienced

photographers, an online platform and very quick upload and download times – this is all what it takes to provide event photography of the highest standards. Federations, Sponsors,

Public Institutions alike can access online not only the latest athletics photography but also archives which date back many decades. Take a look at www.athleticspics.com!

Photography partner Picture-Alliance covers the Annecy event

The SPAR European Cup 2008 in Annecy is the fi rst of two major European Athletics events bearing the SPAR brand name in the title. From 2009, the newly created SPAR European Team Championships will replace the SPAR European Cup and see an even bigger European focus with twelve instead of eight teams and new dramatic competition rules.

Coming back to the French city of Annecy after six years with the SPAR European Cup means this is known territory for the world’s largest retail food store chain. European Athletics’ principal partner

has supported the event, together with its French retail partner, with promotional activities in-store in the Rhone-Alpes region and within the whole SPAR world.

Later this year, the second event with SPAR as title sponsor, the SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be held in Belgium. More than 500 athletes in six categories will take part in the continental cross country championships – as every year on the second Sunday of December.

19www.european-athletics.orgUPDATE 1|08 Newsletter of European Athletics

Le Gruyère signs up with European Athletics

The Gruyère AOC Switzerland, swiss quality cheese, and European Athletics team up together for the coming years. Le Gruyère AOC will support the European Athletics programme of championship events including the European Athletics Championships in Barcelona 2010, the new European Athletics Championships in 2012 and the two European Athletics Indoor Championships in Turin 2009 and Paris 2011. Furthermore, they will support both types of televised team events, the Spar European Cross Country Championships and the Junior and Under-23 Championships. This partnership aims at promoting the Le Gruyère AOC cheese, which has been hand-made for many centuries. It is a perfect marriage of shared values, where a natural product and a healthy sport join their forces to promote each other. Le Gruyère AOC cheese will be seen from now on at European Athletics events across the continent and spectators will be able to taste and experience the product fi rst-hand.

PREVIEW

Even before the fi rst throw in the men’s Hammer, the opening event on the weekend’s programme, the 2008 SPAR European Cup will go down in the annals of athletics history.

The World’s premier national team competition – which has witnessed 14 World and 6 European records – will be contested for the very last time before metamorphosing, like a butterfl y emerging

from its cocoon, into the 1st SPAR European Team Championships in 2009.

More of the new, exciting and innovative competition later but, to concentrate on the present for the moment, this year’s event returns to the picturesque Haute-Savoie town which also staged the SPAR European Cup in 2002.

Germany will be bidding to defend the men’s title they won on home soil in Munich 12 months ago, while the Russian women are aiming for a dozen successive titles having gone undefeated since 1997.

Curtain call for the CupAfter a history spanning 43 years and 28 previous editions, the

SPAR European Cup will be contested for the last time in Annecy,

France, on June 21-22. Phil Minshull says goodbye to an old

friend and hello to a new one that will make its debut in 2009.

At the time of writing, the entries from the eight teams in both competitions have not been fi nalised but one thing is for sure, there will be a tough contest for the men’s title.

In 2007, only six points separated the top three teams: Germany, France and Poland, with the latter two nations also having been winners in the last seven years.

“I love competing in the Cup. Perhaps it’s because the men’s Hammer is usually the fi rst event and then I can enjoy the rest of the event and cheer on the team,” commented the Polish icon Szymon Ziolkowski, the 2000 Olympic men’s Hammer Champion and a winner for his country in the last four SPAR European Cups.

European Athletics merchandising partner NeH has added recently new items to the European Athletics collection. They can be seen and ordered at the webshop, which can be accessed directly from our homepage www.european-athletics.org. Come and visit us!

New products available for athletics fans in European Athletics webshop

“It should be a fantastic Cup, the men’s competition is always intense and seems to be closely fought.”


PREVIEW

Perennial challengers Great Britain should also be able to fi eld a strong squad capable of taking the Cup for the fi fth time.

“It should be a fantastic Cup, the men’s competition is always intense and seems to be closely fought,” added British sprinter Marlon Devonish, a member of Britain’s victorious 4x100m quartet at the 2006 European Athletics Championships who also won the Cup 200m last year.

In contrast to the men’s competition, Russia is the clear favourite to take the women’s title once again.

They notched up six victories in 2007, including an impressive performance from 400m Hurdles World record holder Yuliya Pechonkina, who got Russia off to a fl ying start with a victory and eight points in the fi rst track event of the weekend.

“I certainly will not mind going back to Annecy. I have not raced there since 2002 but on that occasion I had an excellent run in 53.38, which is still the European Cup record, so I have some very good memories,” said Pechonkina last year.

France produced a spirited effort to fi nish second in 2007, helped by victories from Muriel Hurtis, Eunice Barber and Theresa N’Zola – in the 200m, Long and Triple jump respectively – and can be expected to do its best again to try to upset the form book.

Les Bleus should have no shortage of patriotic support from a possible 15,000 capacity crowd in Annecy’s Parc des Sports, which also staged the 1998 IAAF World Junior Championships.

With their combined men and women’s talents, the likes of France, Germany and Russia should also be strong contenders for the inaugural SPAR European Team Championship next year.

The Championship will have 12 teams competing against each other, rather than eight as has usually been the case in the Cup.

“The emphasis will be on the country, or the team, as opposed to the individual athlete. With the men and women’s points both counting towards one team effort, we feel that the competitions will be exciting, energetic and unpredictable” explained European Athletics Vice-President Jose Luis de Carlos.

“It is our fi rm belief, after discussing this new concept with athletes and coaches, that it will produce a far more exciting event for the spectators both on TV and at the stadium,” added European Athletics Director General Christian Milz.

The format of the SPAR European Team Championships may be different from its predecessor but it will still embody the

Hi, my name is Candide

Aubertin. I am French, 14-years-old, I love to write and I

am just wild about athletics! My article on my all-time favourite athlete, Carolina

Kluft, won me the opportunity to be European Athletics Youth Reporter at the SPAR European Cup in Annecy.You can read my Kluft article on the Fan Zone of the European Athletics website and be sure to look out for my special report on the SPAR European Cup after my

fi rst-ever reporting experience in Annecy!

values espoused nearly half a century ago by the Cup’s Italian founder and inspiration Bruno Zauli.

“Athletics can always be practiced on a wider scale and in more diverse places and we must place our faith in new initiatives which can make it happen,” wrote Zauli back in 1963, two years before the fi rst ever continental competition between national teams saw the light of day.

Phil Minshull

Phil Minshull is a British journalist based in Madrid and a regular contributor to European Athletics and IAAF publications.

European Athletics

Youth Reporter

After Annecy the baton will be passed to the European Team Championships in 2009!

UPDATE - European Athletics · GBR, Ken Van Deyck BEL, Hansjörg Wirz SUI. Design, Production: AMK...

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