European Athletics Director General Christian Milz runs through an A to Z highlights package of the next 12 months.
A – ARENA. It will be “All Systems Go” for the event management tool that we are sure will be a strong influence on European Athletics’ life for at least the next 10 years, making life easier for our Member Federations, guests and staff.
B – Braunschweig. The 5th edition of the European Athletics Team Championships Super League will be held in the German city.
C – CEO Conference. It will be held in the Danish capital of Copenhagen during the World Half Marathon Championships on 29-30 March with a focus on managing grassroots and elite athletics from the Member Federation point of view.
D – Donetsk. Will be the venue for both the European Cup Combined Events First and Second Leagues.
E – European Youth Olympic Trials. Will be held in Baku as part of an athletics development plan for Azerbaijan developed by our President Hansjörg Wirz and the national athletics federation.
F – Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The country will be hosting the 18th European Cup 10,000m in the capital city of Skopje on 7 June.
G – Gap. The French commune will be hosting the 13th European Mountain Running Championships on 12 July.
H – Hengelo. The future is bright for athletics in the Dutch city after the authorities decided to keep the FBK Stadion for athletics, with the future of the FBK Games secure.
I – Indoor Allocation. The 2017 European Athletics Indoor Championships will be awarded at the Council meeting in May, with Poland, Serbia and Türkiye the bidders.
J – Jewel in the Crown. The European Athletics Championships Zurich 2014 will be the flagship event in athletics during 2014, taking place 12-17 August.
K – Kiev. The Ukraine capital will be the venue for the European Athletics Council meeting in May.
L – Leiria. The Portuguese city will host the 14th European Cup Winter Throwing on 15 March.
M – Marseille. The French port city will be venue for the Health & Well-Being Conference on 24-26 January. This domain is one of the prime focuses for European Athletics in the coming years.
N – New Concepts. The European Athletics Innovation Awards will take place in 2014, encouraging research, study and new ideas leading to the development of the sport of athletics.
O – Organisers. The coming year sees a new era and area for organisers of our competitions with Azerbaijan, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia and Ukraine hosting European Athletics events.
P – Prague. The test event for the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships is set for 25 February 2014, when the local organising committee and European Athletics will come together for a coordination meeting.
Q – Questionnaire. We are currently formulating a Facilities Questionnaire that will be sent out to Member Federations in the New Year. Its aim is to develop an extensive overview of the main athletics stadiums and facilities in Europe to help with long-term planning in event biding and allocation.
R – Running. We continue to work in this area to ensure our position as the natural authority for running in Europe. We also embrace road running at the Head Office and will be looking to take part in local running events in 2014. In 2013, a European Athletics team took part in the Lausanne Half Marathon (see photo).
S – Sustainability. Our three major events in the summer of 2013 demonstrated a commitment to sustainability by taking part in our Green Inspiration project. We will work with our event organisers in 2014 to ensure the same.
T – Tallinn. The Estonian city will follow their excellent organisation of the European Athletics Convention and Awards Night in 2013 by hosting the European Athletics Team Championships First League in June.
U – Under-18s. The hosting of the inaugural European Athletics Youth Championships will be decided at the May Council meeting, with Georgia, Italy and Slovakia in the running.
V – Volunteers. The European Athletics Championships Zurich 2014 are months away but many volunteers are already working on the event – and being recognised for their efforts with a Volunteer of the Month award.
W – Wirz. Our President Hansjörg Wirz will enter his final full calendar year at the helm of our organisation in 2014. A highlight for him will be Zurich 2014, held close to his hometown of Schaffhausen.
X – X Country. The 21st SPAR European Cross Country Championships will be held in the town of Samokov in Bulgaria on 14 December.
Y – Young Leaders Forum. The European Athletics-UNESCO Young Leaders Forum will be held in conjunction with the European Athletics Championships Zurich 2014. The Forum aims to promote youth leadership and civic engagement through the development of community projects linked to the sport of athletics.
Z – Zuzana Hejnova. Can 2014 be any better for the Czech star? In 2013, she became world champion, went unbeaten in the Diamond League, set a new national record and was named women’s European Athlete of the Year. The poster girl for the Prague 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships will be hoping for a strong year before heading to the Czech capital in March 2015.