No clash with Olympics promise athletics chiefs
Athletics chiefs have promised to avoid a clash with the London 2012 Olympics after announcing the European Championships are to take place every even year.
The event is currently run every four years but European Athletics director general Christian Milz confirmed it would move to every two years.
He said it would end at least four weeks before the London Olympics and they would also try to avoid a clash with Euro 2012 which is being held in Poland and Ukraine.
Milz said: “The event will finish over four weeks before the athletics programme begins in the Olympic Games and will, ideally, coincide with the US Olympic trials.
“Ideally, the event will not clash with the UEFA 2012 Championships, which will take place in Poland and Ukraine.”
Milz admitted the changes would be controversial.
He added: “Of course, I can understand that some people are uncomfortable with changes, but rest assured, we are listening to, and considering, all the opinions from our key stakeholders and acting on them to make it a win-win situation for everyone.
“The rationale behind the additional European Athletics Championships taking place every even year is obvious. That is, to create more awareness and visibility for our sport. We have always felt that the numerous benefits from this are clear.
“The equation is very simple. More success for European athletes means better television for European broadcasters and audiences, and more European stars to inspire the next generation of athletes.
“As you can imagine, there are many hurdles to clear before these plans can come to fruition, in particular the fact that UEFA have not yet set the date for Euro 2012.”
