8th October 2008 11:00
The winning entries are 'Biomechanical Aspects of Training Means Selection in Track and Field Jumps' by Mikhail Shestakov (RUS) in the Coaching category, 'The SPAR Athletics SPARK' by William Anderson (GBR) in the Promotion category and 'Hamstring Muscle Strain in Sprinters' by Carl Askling (SWE) & Alf Thorstensson (SWE) in the Open category.
All three are eligible for the overall award, including a prize of 10,000 Swiss Francs, which will be presented at the European Athletics Awards dinner in Amsterdam on 18 October.
The overall winner and the entries awarded Honourable Mention will be announced next week.
Judging was conducted by an eight member international jury led by European Athletics Council member Dr Sylvia Barlag (NED). The evaluation criteria were 'quality' and 'relevance to athletics'.
The European Athletics Innovation Awards were created to encourage research and the sharing of new ideas leading to the promotion and development of the sport of athletics. The biennial competition was initiated in 1998 as the European Athletics Science Awards and is open to sport scientists, coaches, and students in Europe.
This year's contest attracted a total of 22 entry files from 12 countries.
The category winning papers will be available on the European Athletics website in November.