11th October 2013 11:00
European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz visited the Congress to greet the delegates, while IAAF Vice President Sergey Bubka also attended the Congress and took part in the discussions.
The Congress reviewed the membership requests of three countries and unanimously affiliated Slovenia, Cyprus and Georgia.
Slovenia belongs to the Balkans geographically and historically – the Balkan championships were held in Ljubljana when it was part of Yugoslavia.
Cyprus also is part of the Balkan region and has taken part in the Balkan Games in the past.
Georgia is on its way to actively developing athletics and is aiming to host international events.
As a result, the ABAF now has 15 Member Federations.
Istanbul will host the next Balkan Indoor Championships, for the third consecutive year, on 22 February 2014.
The Balkan Senior Championships will be held in Cluj Napoca, Romania, on 27-28 July 2014.
Romania will also host the Balkan Mountain Running Championships on 15 June in Vatra Dornei.
The Balkan Marathon will be held in Belgrade, while the Half Marathon will be in Durres, Albania.
The dates for these events will be confirmed soon.
The Balkan Race Walking Championships will be held on 12 April 2014 in Balchik, Bulgaria.
The Congress also decided to stage the Balkan Cross Country Championships in the autumn instead of the spring as it was until now, starting from 2014.
Thus it could serve for the selection of athletes for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships, which is traditionally held in the second weekend of December.