Prague 2015 is set to be the “best ever” European Athletics Indoor Championships, claimed Hansjörg Wirz today when he addressed his last ever pre-event press conference as European Athletics’ President in the Czech capital’s Old Town Hall today.
Wirz, who is due to step down in April from the role he’s held for the last 16 years, claimed the 33rd edition of the continent’s “second most important competition” will be a fitting finale to his long term at the helm. It follows the hugely successful European Athletics Championships in Zurich last summer and Europe’s triumph at the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakech.
“This will be a great competition,” he said. “We have had optimal preparation from the organisers here after an outstanding couple of years for European athletics.
“But for me it will be my last competition as president, and it is a fitting place to end because long ago I remember sitting in this city watching the 1978 European Athletics Championships here.
“It was my first championships in an official capacity, and 37 years is a long time before coming back to Pargue, but in that time we have achieved a lot for athletics in Europe and around the world. I want to thank all of you for your great support.”
Libor Varhanik, President of the Czech Athletics Federation and the Prague 2015 organising committee, promised to provide Wirz with a successful farewell.
“This is the last competition for Hansjörg and we promised to give him a great send-off,” he said. “I can tell you we are ready to do that.
“It was not easy for us to take on this competition and we want to thank European Athletics for trusting us. After 37 years, we want to make sure this very important event is remembered like those championships in 1978.
“Prague is the symbol at the centre of everything about these championships – it’s on our logo, on our medals and in our hearts, because the city is at the heart of Europe and the heart of athletics, and it’s in our hearts where we feel the emotions of the athletes.”
President Wirz’s words were echoed by EA’s director general, Chrstian Milz, who said Prague 2015 is poised to “keep up the momentum” of 2014’s “special year for European athletics” by presenting “a special edition of the championships”.
“Thirty-seven years ago we held our most important event in Prague, and now we’re back,” he said. “We’ve got great expectations because the Czech Republic has such great athletics heroes and such terrific tradition in athletics.
“We already know this will be a record-breaking edition. It will be broadcast live by 29 international broadcasters – a record number – and will be live-streamed on the EA website thanks to our International Partner SPAR.
“With 643 athletes competing we have a record number of entries – an increase of 12 per cent on two years ago. We also have 49 out of our 50 member federations represented, not to mention some 900 media and 300 vounteers.
“We want to offer the best ever European Indoor Championships, and I think we will. The motto of the event is written on the posters – ‘Oooh!’, ‘Wow!’ ‘Yippee!’.
“We look forward to a lot of ‘Oooh!’ and a lot of ‘Wow!’ over the next three days.”
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