2025 will go down as one of the biggest and most remarkable years in the history of European Athletics.
In total, we delivered twelve major events – the highest number ever staged in a single year – underlining our continued leadership in growing and developing our sport alongside our Member Federations.
Across these events, we recorded an extraordinary 6,731 athlete entries, comprising:
- ECCC Cross Country (Albufeira, POR, 2 February) – 373
- European Athletics Indoor Championships (Apeldoorn, NED, 4–7 March) – 607
- European Throwing Cup (Nicosia, CYP, 14–15 March) – 302
- European Running Championships (Brussels–Leuven, BEL, 12–13 April) – 342
- European Race Walking Team Championships (Podebrady, CZE, 18 May) – 184
- European 10,000m Cup (Pacé, FRA, 24 May) – 75
- European Athletics Team Championships 2nd & 3rd Divisions (Maribor, SLO, 24–29 June) – 626 and 392
- European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division (Madrid, ESP, 26–29 June) – 693
- European Athletics U23 Championships (Bergen, NOR, 17–20 July) – 1,198
- European Athletics U20 Championships (Tampere, FIN, 7–10 August) – 1,295
- SPAR European Cross Country Championships (Lagoa, POR, 14 December) – 644
In addition, 28,000 mass-participation runners took part in the hugely popular inaugural European Running Championships in Brussels–Leuven.
With great confidence, we can say that more people participated in European Athletics events in 2025 than at any other time in our history.
Never before has there been such a breadth of opportunity to engage with our major events, and that opportunity produced some truly memorable sport.
These moments were shared with audiences in the tens of millions across multiple platforms, including through our valued partnership with the EBU and its Eurovision Sport platform.
We also live-streamed over 70 athletics meetings including our own event and one day meetings from outdoor, indoor and cross country, delivering strongly on our Strategic Roadmap priorities of competition, digitalisation and innovation, and community.
A landmark year
It would be impossible to cover every event in detail, but I would like to thank the Local Organising Committees, hosting Member Federations, local government partners, thousands of athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and fans who together made 2025 such a landmark year for our sport.
Among many highlights, the atmosphere at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn – as hosts the Netherlands claimed seven gold medals – stood out.
Equally unforgettable was the sight of tens of thousands of enthusiastic runners competing alongside elite athletes, supported by more than 160,000 spectators at the European Running Championships in Brussels–Leuven.
The spectacular setting of the Royal Palace in Madrid, which hosted the opening pole vault competitions at the European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division, showcased just how innovative and visually striking athletics events can be.
Our age-group championships in Bergen and Tampere confirmed that a new generation of European stars is emerging. Performances by athletes such as Kelly Doualla, Hubert Trościanka, Niels Laros and others give us great confidence in the future of our sport.
The record participation at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Lagoa provided a fitting conclusion to the year.
We also celebrated outstanding performances by European athletes on the global stage. Femke Bol, Mondo Duplantis, Mattia Furlani, Jimmy Gressier, Ditaji Kambundji, Leo Neugebauer, María Pérez, Pedro Pichardo, Jessica Schilder, Daniel Ståhl and Isaac Nader were all deserving world champions in Tokyo.
In addition, world records were set during the year by Mykolas Alekna, Mondo Duplantis, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Massimo Stano.
People and planet first
Away from the field of play, 2025 was equally impactful. In October, Batumi, Georgia, hosted the European Athletics Convention, Congress, Council, EXBO and Golden Tracks awards, forming the largest corporate gathering in our history. Our governance has never been stronger, reflected not only in Batumi but also in our deepening commitment to human rights.
In November, we hosted a landmark Human Rights Workshop in Geneva for Local Organising Committees and major event bidders, further embedding human rights into our operations and ensuring our events are world-class in both performance and ethics.
Our people-first approach was also evident with the launch of the new Athletes’ Zone at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere. Part of the Race for Respect safeguarding campaign, this space – designed by young people for young people – provided a welcoming environment to connect, unwind and engage with key issues such as safeguarding, mental health and wellbeing. Its success means it is an initiative we intend to expand.
Alongside people, we continue to prioritise the planet. Environmental sustainability remained central to our events, with shared transport, recycling, zero-waste measures, conservation initiatives and plastic reduction becoming standard practice. This commitment was symbolised by a tree-planting ceremony in Lagoa.
Athletics for All
In development, Athletics for All continues to promote inclusivity and diversity, while supporting physical and mental wellbeing across communities throughout Europe.
Multiple projects from across our Member Federations are highlighted on the European Athletics E-learning platform under the themes of Active Kids, Active Families, and Active Workplace.
Meanwhile, in the area of high performance coaching, the environment has continued to flourish. Nearly 100 expert coaches gathered at European Athletics High Performance Conference in Madrid in April for three dynamic days of innovation and insight.
The Coach Networking Project saw a 20% expansion across the year with Member Federations’ coaches connecting on monthly online discussion groups to share knowledge and experiences.
Europe continues to be a global hub for coaching expertise.
Our financial position remains strong, and we are grateful to our partners for their continued trust and support. These relationships with SPAR, JOMA, Le Gruyère, Toyo Tires, Würth Modyf, Polanik, Conica, and EBU continue to strengthen as we look ahead together to another year of collaboration and co-operation.
Attention turns to Birmingham 2026
Looking to 2026, we are excited to return to a European Athletics Championships year. For the first time in history, Great Britain will host our flagship event, and I am confident that Birmingham will deliver one of the finest European Athletics Championships ever staged.
It will also be the first time since Berlin 2018 that our showpiece event takes place outside an Olympic or World Championships year, ensuring a major focus for athletes and fans alike.
We also eagerly await the 5th European Athletics U18 Championships in Rieti, Italy, and the 3rd European Athletics Off-Road Running Championships in Ljubljana–Kamnik, Slovenia – these two events are growing in stature with each edition and are now firmly embedded into the international calendar.
In addition, the European Throwing Cup in Nicosia, the European 10,000m Cup in La Spezia, Italy and the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia point to another exciting year ahead.
Every year is important for European Athletics. Every year brings new opportunities to grow, innovate and ensure our sport remains relevant, engaging and resilient in a rapidly changing world. Through our Strategic Roadmap, we are meeting these challenges and connecting athletics with millions across Europe in positive and meaningful ways.
Thank you to all athletes, coaches, Member Federations, partners, officials, volunteers and fans who helped make 2025 such a defining year. I look forward to working with you all to make 2026 even stronger, and I wish you a healthy, happy and inspiring year ahead.
European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov
