Welcome to the “European Athletics Golden Tracks” ceremony for the awards given annually to the men’s and women’s European Athletes of the Year and Rising Stars.
The Golden Tracks trophy will be awarded at a televised gala evening in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday 17 October.
The trophy design comprises three arcs, representing lanes on three running tracks as well as the basic components of athletics: running-walking, jumping and throwing.
The curve and positioning of the arcs leads the eye in three dimensions and creates a feeling of movement.
The result is best described by the word “dynamic,” which, of course, is often used to describe the sport of athletics as well.
One of the starting points for the European Athletics logo was how the organisation unites three groups – Member Federations, athletes and fans – across Europe through the sport of athletics.
The actual European Athletics logo uses strong blue and yellow colours that are meant to symbolise Europe, while the equally strong orange represents the sport of athletics.
For the trophy, these are replaced by gold – the colour every top-class athlete strives for when competing.
The trophy is a cubic monolith made of a compact acrylic glass block in which the European Athletics logo design has been encased. The logo was created in 3D in polished brass by a craftsman jeweller – a difficult and delicate process that means the end product and the Golden Tracks logo is not a simple replica of the original European Athletics logo.
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