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One week until Birmingham: Director General speaks
Director General's "State of the Sport" Address
Welcome to the second of my regular "state of the sport" updates to you on the European Athletics website.
Here we are, one week before the European Athletics Indoor Championships commence in Birmingham and already this season, tens of thousands of athletics fans have been thrilled by the performances of Europe’s finest athletes in the comfort and warmth of indoor venues throughout the continent!
We are not yet two months into 2007 and already we have experienced some top class competition highlighted by a World Indoor Record from Yelena Isinbayeva in the Pole vault. Europe’s top athletes are winding down their training in preparation for peak performances in Birmingham and the indications from Britain are that the Championships will be yet another weekend sell-out!
Television figures
We have recently received the television viewing figures from the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in San Giorgio in December from our independent auditors and I am delighted to announce that we have achieved record figures for this edition of the championships!
In excess of 10 million viewers were treated to 24 hours worth of coverage around the world from 16 European and 3 non-European broadcasters. The expanded championships proved to be an outstanding success and the new U23 age category received great support from all our Member Federations on its first appearance at the championships.
In a world of intense competition for television coverage, from numerous new and traditional sports like our own, this is very welcome news for the sport and I am extremely optimistic that the next edition of the Championships, due to take place in Toro (ESP) in December 9th will be bigger and better and watched by more fans throughout Europe!
The Indoor season
The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham is a world class and fitting venue for the 29th European Athletics Indoor championships, the climax of the winter season. What has impressed me most over the winter months, however, has been the efforts of some of our smaller member federations to provide top class, well presented indoor competitions in local intimate venues.
Each week I have read about High Jump and Pole Vault competitions taking place in Shopping centres and local small sports halls throughout Eastern Europe, with as little as 1,000 spectators packed into the venues, practically touching the athletes and making an atmosphere to savour!
It was at one of these venues at the Europa Shopping Centre High Jump competition in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, that Olympic High jump Champion Stefan Holm, cleared the magical height of 2.30m for the 100th time, before going on to jump 2.37m, his highest leap indoors since his spectacular 2.37m clearance to win the European Indoor title in Madrid 2 years ago.
Role Model
The 30-year-old Swede is a fantastic role model and inspiration for our young athletes all over Europe. More often than not he is the smallest competitor in the competitions, but nonetheless continuously entertains the crowds with his performances and importantly for the sport, understands his responsibilities to give something back as he is the current Chairman of the European Athletics Athletes Commission.
The same characteristics, however, cannot be attributed to the very small percentage of athletes who continue to cheat themselves, their families, their health, their fellow athletes, and their fans while doping to take a shortcut to success.
We at European Athletics, feel that the punishment and deterrents should be tougher in order to give the right messages to both the public and young impressionable athletes.
Rest assured, we hold a very strong line against doping in the sport and at next Thursday’s press conference in Birmingham, our President, Hansjörg Wirz, will provide further comments on his recent announcements that Europe is not willing to pay the bill for negative behaviour of non Europeans as well as a host of new, innovative measures, to protect the purity of our sport and punish those who continue to cheat.
I salute the organisers of the big track and field meetings in Europe by refusing to invite convicted doping cheats to their meetings and it is my belief that if an athlete finds themselves at the critical point of decision making regarding doping, and they stop think that their future earning potential and competition opportunities will be removed for life, they will come to the conclusion that the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages and decide against it.
Council Meeting
The next European Athletics Council Meeting will be in Birmingham on the Monday after the Championships and will be the final Council Meeting for a number of long serving stalwarts of European Athletics. I would like to publicly pay tribute to those members who will not be standing for re-election and thank them sincerely for the years of service they have given for the betterment of our sport.
Source: EAA
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