Up to 50 Member Federation Head Coaches and Performance Directors will discuss elite performance trends and how cooperation could strengthen Europe’s position as the top-performing continent in world athletics at the first-ever European Athletics High-Performance Conference.
European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz will be present in Frankfurt to open and close the 23-24 November summit.
Speakers at the conference will include Charles Van Commenee (NED), who is best known for leading the successful Great Britain & Northern Ireland athletics team at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Joining him will be Erland Slokvik (NOR), a former Sport Director for the powerful Norwegian biathlon team and former National Coach for Norwegian Orienteering, who will give a perspective on performance management in other sports.
“The aim is to find ways to help European federations increase their success in the high-performance area, including winning more medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships in Athletics,” says Frank Hensel, chairman of the European Athletics Education Commission.
According to Hensel, the conference will examine the extent of federation influence on performance development and promote the exchange of good practice.
“We know Head Coaches are in competition with each other, but we think it might be valuable to provide a platform for them to share ideas about providing services and dealing with elite athletes and coaches.
'We are expecting practical discussions about delivery structures and possibly ways we could work together.
“If we see a positive response, we will develop the concept in the future.'
The conference replaces this year’s Head Coaches Forum, which is traditionally held over half a day during the European Athletics Convention.