Major sports championships are traditionally measured by what happens inside the stadium: the records broken, the dramatic finishes and the awarding of medals. But behind the scenes, a different kind of operational benchmark is being set for the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships.
Through its Race for Respect campaign, European Athletics strives to ensure that track and field remains a safe, welcoming and supportive environment built upon core human rights, active safeguarding and psychological well-being.
First launched at the Rome 2024 European Athletics Championships, the campaign marked the first dual deployment of dedicated safeguarding officers from both European Athletics and the Local Organising Committee.
It was further advanced at the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships, which integrated on-site Integrity Officers and rolled out the campaign's signature athlete postcards to deepen federation awareness.
For the upcoming 2026 Championships in Birmingham, European Athletics and the Local Organising Committee are once again deploying dedicated safeguarding officers from both organisations to maintain a robust, visible presence on the ground.
This year’s activation places a strong emphasis on direct team engagement, delivering comprehensive briefings and awareness materials tailored specifically to competing federations, while expanding the reach of the Race for Respect message across all stakeholder areas including fans and spectators.
In tandem with these operational measures, UK Athletics is delivering its own regional impact strategy through its Beyond programme. By addressing localised needs, removing barriers to inclusion and prioritising physical and mental health at the grassroots level, Beyond is providing a practical blueprint for how a major event can deliver lasting social change.
Addressing Regional Needs
Birmingham is an exceptionally young, vibrant and diverse metropolis with an average age of 34, and more than 50 per cent of the population identifying as Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME). Yet it faces distinct hurdles in terms of physical fitness, with 36 per cent of young people across the city being currently classified as inactive.
The Race for Respect campaign asserts that every individual has a right to participate in a safe, inclusive and supportive sporting environment, and the Beyond campaign uses the 2026 Championships as a vehicle to drive event accessibility, foster sports participation and improve regional well-being, long before the elite athletes arrive.
“Through the Beyond programme, there are a number of initiatives, driven by local partners and inspired by the championships, that look to break down barriers to participation, address inequalities and provide opportunities to those who would benefit most," says UK Athletics Development Director Chris Moss.
A key example is the ongoing collaboration with Access Sport, the UK sports inclusion charity which is delivering free training sessions designed to support local clubs in becoming more inclusive.
These workshops focus heavily on upskilling coaches and administrators to better support disabled and neurodivergent athletes. Similarly, the recent Inclusive Sport Festival at Alexander Stadium brought diverse West Midlands communities together, breaking down traditional barriers and providing welcoming spaces for individuals of all backgrounds to explore track and field.
This localised, partner-driven approach is designed to ensure that the excitement of a major event translates into lasting civic equity.
“Birmingham is hungry for major events,” said Royston Hoggarth, Chair of the Birmingham 2026 Stakeholder Board. “With Beyond, we hope to ensure that the communities in and around Birmingham and the West Midlands feel a part of the championships and experience real benefits from the event.”
Activating the Next Generation
European Athletics’ Race for Respect and Athletics for All platforms emphasise a strong connection between sports participation and holistic mental health.
“The power of our major events lies in their ability to inspire long-term, positive change far beyond the track,” said European Athletics CEO Christian Milz. “Through our Race for Respect and Athletics for All platforms, we are proud to see Birmingham 2026 taking these core values into local schools and communities, proving that world-class sport can leave a lasting legacy of health, dignity and inclusion.”
In Birmingham, the focus is being taken directly into classrooms to inspire the next generation to make a habit of healthy movement. The launch of the Birmingham 2026 Miles Challenge was a major catalyst for this effort. Supported by the UK’s Active Playgrounds initiative, the challenge encourages local schoolchildren to track their weekly collective running miles.
The early impact has been highly promising, with schools like those in inner-city Aston reporting a surge of enthusiasm among children excited to “get moving”. By connecting these young people to elite sport, and further inspiring them through group ticket initiatives supported by Olympic medallists, Beyond is tackling youth inactivity by making movement a source of community pride and shared achievement.
Educational Awareness
Another educational awareness initiative that complements European Athletics’ year-round Race for Respect campaign is the official Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Kids Resources packs, rolled out to schools and youth groups across the region.
Designed for ages 7–14, these interactive packs integrate athletics into the classroom to promote healthy, active lifestyles while introducing the values of sportsmanship and mutual respect early in a child's development.
Through these tailored educational tools, alongside coaching bursaries for local club leaders, accessible community infrastructure, child-centered running challenges and much, much more, Birmingham 2026 and its impact partners are showing how an elite sporting event can become an authentic vehicle for broader social change.
The efforts in the West Midlands are helping to set a clear blueprint for future host cities, reminding us that when we run the race for medals, we must simultaneously run the race for human dignity, safety and respect.