President Wirz: Helsinki 2012 great beginning for new tradition in athletics

European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz.

European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz has hailed the Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships as a great start for the new two-year cycle of European Athletics' main event.

'I am very pleased with the success of the Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships. Over the past five days, we have witnessed an excellent start to a new tradition in athletics of our main championships being held every two years,' said President Wirz.

'These championships have provided the platform for some fantastic performances, from both established stars and also from an exciting new generation of young athletes.

The ground-breaking championships saw a number of initiatives, including a mobile application, a compact five-day programme and victory ceremonies outside the stadium.

'I am happy to say that the response from our Member Federations and their athletes regarding this new format for the championships has been extremely positive,' said President Wirz.

'We have received encouraging preliminary television figures both in Finland and throughout Europe and this underlines how well-received these championships have been.

'These positive reactions give us great motivation to improve even further as we look ahead to the Zurich 2014 and Amsterdam 2016 European Athletics Championships.'