The 172nd Council meeting will take place in the Spanish city of Malaga on Wednesday and Thursday (17-18), with the goal of paving the way and providing a clear path for the next four years of European Athletics activity.
The European Athletics Strategic Roadmap for 2024-2027 – which was presented and enthusiastically endorsed at the European Athletics Council meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania before last October’s Convention – will be the focal point of discussions over the next two days.
The Strategic Roadmap has three core objectives.
- To ensure a strong and united European Athletics family that can face challenges together.
- To grow and lead the sport in Europe in a financially sustainable way.
- To serve, support and strengthen our Member Federations and the wider community.
It has three distinct priorities: competition, digitalisation and innovation, and community.
Wednesday afternoon’s core topic will be the European Athletics major events strategy, with the aim of maintaining the place of the European Athletics Championships, European Athletics Indoor Championships, European Athletics Team Championships and SPAR European Cross Country Championships as some of sport’s leading events in the world, and growing the engagement of all levels of athletics fans. as well as looking at potential new developments.
Development activities and the running industry in Europe – including the first European Running Championships which will be held 12-13 April 2025 in Brussels-Leuven, Belgium – are also on the agenda for Thursday morning.
With the formation last year of a Governance & Integrity Commission, European Athletics has increased its already considerable attention on human rights, safeguarding and Member Federations' governance and this topic is also an important item on Thursday’s agenda in Malaga.