29th April 2013 11:04
Each federation has the right to select a winner and thereby recognise accomplishments that are a significant contribution to athletics in areas other than competitive success and serve as an example of leadership and other values of the sport.
All the national winners will receive a commissioned art work prize and a Women's Leadership Awards certificate from European Athletics.
A European Athletics appointed panel will select a representative of the national winners who will be the first to receive her prize, which will be given during the European Athletics Awards Night in Tallinn, Estonia, on 12 October 2013. The other winners will receive their awards at ceremonies organised by their federations.
Alongside the awards, European Athletics will give three scholarships to a training programme for young women identified as future leaders in the sport.
'These awards and the scholarships are the centrepieces of our strategy to promote the women leaders we need in athletics,' said European Athletics Council member Dr Sylvia Barlag (NED), who will head the awards process.
'In addition to recognising some great role models, the first two editions have helped to increase awareness and sensitivity within our federations about the issues faced by sportswomen, coaches and leaders in athletics. This was shown earlier this month when 38 federations signed the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport and put athletics right at the top of the sports endorsing its principles.'
For the inaugural awards, given in 2009, national winners were named by 24 federations while for the 2011 edition winners were named by 30 federations.
As in the first two editions, a student from the Ecole Romande d'Art et de Communication (ERACOM), a highly ranked design school in Lausanne, Switzerland, will be selected to provide the artwork prize for the winners.
For further information click here or contact Marc Sintes at marc.sintes@european-athletics.org.