12th January 2011 04:34
The Helsinki 2012 local organising committee updated visiting officials and staff on progress ahead of the next edition of European Athletics' flagship event, which will run for five days through 27 June to 1 July.
'Helsinki 2012 will be a new dawn for European Athletics as it is the beginning of the cycle of having a European championships every two years, and so we are working hard with the LOC on forward-thinking ideas for these innovative championships,' said President Wirz.
'Finland is an extremely important country in the history of European and world athletics and so is an excellent host for the start of a new chapter in European athletics. Europe's top athletes competing in a country with such a rich tradition in our sport is a fantastic combination.'
Finland Athletics and LOC President Antti Pihlakoski said, 'Finland wants to be a forerunner in developing European athletics by providing a top quality championships for both athletes and spectators in 2012 and we are working hard to develop an excitingly fresh, modern and compact European championships.'
Meeting with Finnish journalists in Helsinki, Wirz underlined the demand for a European Athletics Championships to be staged every two years.
'A total television audience of 368 million watched the Barcelona 2010 championships which was an increase on the figures for Göteborg 2006. This shows the continued popularity and importance of our sport on the continent and thus the need for a European championships to be staged every two years,' said Wirz.
Both Wirz and Pihlakoski, a European Athletics Council Member, welcomed the recent renewal of the long-running contract between European Athletics and the European Broadcasting Union for the period 2012-2015, covering all of European Athletics' major events including Helsinki 2012.