The leadership of the French Athletics Federation (FFA) were welcomed to the European Athletics offices in Lausanne this week (3–4) as part of the Onboarding programme.
The delegation included FFA President Jean Gracia, General Secretary Nicolas Paresy, CEO Jérôme Villon and President’s delegate Emmanuelle Jaeger, and were hosted by European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov and CEO Christian Milz.
Onboarding is a European Athletics programme which helps incoming senior leaders of Member Federations get acquainted with the structures and activities of European Athletics.
The Member Federation leadership has the opportunity to meet with each European Athletics department to accelerate the development of a healthy and constructive working relationship between the two parties.
"Highly constructive" meetings
President Dobromir Karamarinov said: “We were pleased to welcome the new leadership of the French Athletics Federation to the European Athletics House.
“These meetings provide an important platform for strategic discussions on development and growth, but also to discuss the challenges our Member Federations are facing and how we can address them together.
“I am pleased that this programme continues to bring added value to both sides, and we look forward to the next onboarding meeting with more Member Federations scheduled to take place in May.”
On behalf of the FFA, Jean Gracia said: “It is always a great pleasure to visit the European Athletics Headquarters. Today, I had the honour of being here in the capacity of President of the French Athletics Federation, accompanied by my senior colleagues.
“I would like to sincerely thank President Dobromir Karamarinov and CEO Christian Milz for their trust in the ongoing reform of the French Athletics Federation, and for the continuous support that European Athletics provides.
“Our discussions were highly constructive, covering key strategic topics. It was also a valuable opportunity to meet with all directors and staff of European Athletics and to exchange ideas on good governance, development, digital innovation, communication, marketing, and competition.”
European Athletics CEO Christian Milz said: “The Onboarding programme provides a valuable two-way opportunity for European Athletics and our Member Federations.
“Naturally, we share very similar objectives around the growth and development of our sport across Europe. Therefore, it is really important to establish a strong working relationship with the team at European Athletics to help achieve our collective goals.
“We can always learn from each other, and in-person meetings are highly valuable for getting to know and understanding one another better.
“It was a pleasure to meet with the new leaders at the FFA and we look forward to working closely with them in the coming years."