The European Athletics High Performance Conference took place in Madrid from 4–6 April, uniting top minds in sport science, coaching, and innovation. Opening remarks from European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov and Spanish Federation President Raúl Chapado set the tone for a dynamic exchange of expertise.
Open to a wider audience
For the first time ever, the conference was open to sports professionals outside of athletics, welcoming nearly 100 participants from across Europe, including a core audience from Member Federations and other organisations and experts.
The conference focused on elevating elite performance through a wide range of sessions. Rogier Ummels (Netherlands) and Jan Koutnik (Czechia) explored talent development frameworks, while Jakob Larsen (Denmark) introduced cutting-edge innovations shaping the future of athletics. Italy's Dr. Gaspare Pavei highlighted successful collaboration models between scientists and federations.
Laura Turner (Great Britain) delivered impactful insights on mental health in high-performance settings and joined a relay-focused panel alongside Benke Blomkvist (Sweden) and Dr. Katrin Heyers (Germany), who also presented on unifying coaches and athletes under a shared performance vision.
Technical advancements featured prominently. Prof. Carlos Balsalobre-Fernandez (Spain) presented coach-friendly field measurement apps, while Prof. Javier Rosell Ferrer (Spain) demonstrated a race walk electronic control system in a practical session. Dr. Arturo Casado (Spain) shared lessons from global training methodologies, and Dr. Brian Hanley (Ireland) examined biomechanical profiling for injury prevention and performance enhancement.
A Q&A with athletics Austrian-based power couple Christian and Beate Taylor added a personal dimension to the event, reinforcing the synergy between experience and innovation. The conference underscored Europe's commitment to pushing the limits of athletic achievement through collaboration, science, and technology.
Chris Broadbent for European Athletics