The last 12 months have provided a year to remember in athletics for so many reasons and, I believe, European Athletics reached new heights during 2024.
The pinnacle of our activities was, of course, the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships. This edition was memorable from so many perspectives.
We witnessed superb performances from our continent’s top athletes including 15 championship bests, an excellent atmosphere, as well as record-breaking TV and digital channel audiences.
European athletes went on from Rome’s historical and magical Olympic Stadium to make everyone very proud at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris where they won 12 gold medals and 46 medals in total.
As well as Roma 2024, European Athletics also delivered a series of other outstanding events throughout the year that embraced all areas of our wonderful and diverse sport. I would like to congratulate each and every Local Organising Committee for their efforts and commitment.
Space only permits me to acknowledge the events by name rather than go into expansive detail about them individually but make no mistake, every single one of them contributed to what I believe was the best year ever for European Athletics.
- Albufeira 2024 ECCC Cross Country
- Leiria 2024 European Throwing Cup
- Annecy 2024 European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships
- Banska Bystrica 2024 European Athletics U18 Championships
- European Athletics DNA U20 Clubs Clash
- Antalya 2024 SPAR European Cross Country Championships
Beyond the competitive arena, we also had numerous webinars, seminars, conferences and delivered a hugely productive Convention in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of North Macedonia, where we also honoured many of those who contributed so much to our sport at the annual Golden Tracks awards night, including our European Athletes of the Year Armand Duplantis and Yaroslava Mahuchikh.
In addition, 2024 saw the first year of activities which fall under our Strategic Roadmap, which was approved by the European Athletics Council last January.
I believe that we are well on the way to making athletics in Europe a stronger and better sport for everyone and all our activities and actions are in line with three core objectives of the Roadmap - to ensure a strong and united European Athletics family that can face challenges together, to grow and lead the sport in Europe in a financially sustainable way, to serve, support and strengthen our Member Federations and the wider community.
We are dedicated to advancing good governance within our organisation while also strengthening the governance practices of our member federations and local organising committees.
Just to briefly reflect on European Athletics’ financial sustainability, I would like to note the fact that during 2024 we embarked on relationships with a number of new commercial partners and strengthened our involvement with existing ones.
Our commercial partners support European Athletics financially and allow us to ensure athletics continues to be such a fantastic sport to be involved in.
Regarding financial aspects, we can take pride in the historic achievement of securing a performance bonus for our athletes at this year's European Athletics Championships.
I am delighted that the Council has committed to supporting this initiative moving forward, ensuring that, in collaboration with our organisers, we continue to provide financial contributions and support to our athletes.
Organising events sustainably will remain a central focus as we continue to expand sustainable initiatives within our athletics community. I would like to congratulate our Local Organising Committees for their outstanding achievements in this area.
We are dedicated to embedding a sustainable mindset in everything we do, ensuring that our actions and decisions have a positive impact on both the environment and society. By prioritising sustainability, we aim to lead by example and inspire others to adopt similar practices, creating a lasting impact and legacy for our communities.
But above all, our efforts are dedicated to creating a safe sport environment for everyone involved. Safety, inclusivity, and respect are the foundational values that guide all our efforts.
Having quickly reviewed the last 12 months and reflected on what was achieved, I would like to look ahead to 2025 and what will be an important year for our sport in Europe.
Important upcoming dates in the European Athletics calendar are the Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships, which will be held between 6-9 March, the inaugural European Running Championships in Brussels-Leuven the following month on 12-13 April. In the summer, we will host the European Athletics Team Championships, along with our age category events.
The European Athletics Team Championships is the world’s premier athletics competition between national teams. This prestigious event will be hosted across two cities, with Madrid welcoming the 1st Division and Maribor hosting the 2nd and 3rd Divisions.
Bergen and Tampere will showcase the next generations of our future stars as hosts of U23 and U20 Championships, respectively, following on from the success of our U18 Championships in Banska Bystrica this summer.
As always, we will conclude the year by celebrating the best cross-country runners at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in December, which this coming year will be in Lagoa, Portugal.
Apeldoorn 2025 will showcase our sport under the inspiring theme of 'Moving People' while the European Running Championships will introduce a transformative concept, which blends elite and mass participation.
Both events form a key part of our plan to add innovation to our competitions and boost inclusivity, while the European Running Championships also allows everyone to experience the thrill of representing their nation.
The three Strategic Roadmap priorities of competition, digitalisation and innovation, and community will be at the fore and come to life during these, and all, European Athletics’ events and projects in 2025.
However, I should say that every year is a crucial one for an organisation like European Athletics and demonstrates the fact that there is no room for complacency and there are constant challenges to respond to.
Lastly, our ongoing initiatives, such as Athletics for All, are ensuring that the sport becomes increasingly accessible to diverse communities. By embracing innovation and promoting inclusivity, health and well-being we are making significant strides towards a more connected and vibrant athletics community.
As always, I would like to conclude with big thank you to our athletes, coaches, Member Federations, partners, officials, volunteers and fans and I wish everyone a healthy, enjoyable, successful and sustainable 2025.
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov