On the eve of the 15th European Athletics U23 Championships in the coastal city of Bergen, Norway from 17-20 July. European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov set the tone at the pre-event press conference by underlining the pivotal role this age group plays in the future of the sport.
“This event is so important,” Karamarinov said. “It's so important not to jump from the junior age to the senior level. For most athletes, this step is really crucial. That’s why we continue with U23 development.”
With nearly 1300 athletes from across the continent, Bergen 2025 will showcase the very best of emerging European talent.
Field laden with medallists
The field includes ten medallists from this year’s Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, nine reigning champions from the Espoo 2023 European Athletics U23 Championships, and 24 gold medallists from the Jerusalem 2023 European Athletics U20 Championships— making this year’s event one of the most talent-rich in its history.
European Athletics President Karamarinov said he remains committed to building the sport through strong, meaningful competition: “Competition is our core business, and we are really very proud to be here for the 15th edition of the European Athletics U23 Championships in Bergen.”
He also took a moment to reflect on the legacy of the sport in Norway: “It is also 15 years after the last biggest event in Bergen, the European Athletics Team Championships in 2010. My predecessor, Svein Arne Hansen, was a very good friend of mine, and I have really good memories together with him here in Norway.”
10 years of hard work
The Norwegian Athletics Association (NFIF), for its part, sees this as a long-awaited milestone. “We are very proud to finally be able to organise a major athletics championship,” said Runar Bålsrud, President of the Norwegian Athletics Association. “It is important for developing Norwegian athletics to organise a major championship.”
The sense of anticipation and pride was echoed by the Local Organising Committee, led by President Pal Hafstad Thorsen. “This is what we have worked so hard for—10 years. Finally, we can welcome Europe to our city,” he said. “Nearly 900 volunteers have come forward to make sure around 1800 athletes and trainers are going to have the very best.”
Thorsen described Bergen as a city with “strong local pride and with friendly and inclusive residents,” and pledged that the city is ready to give athletes everything they need to compete at their best.
Sun set to smile on Bergen 2025
Deputy Mayor for Business, Culture & Sport Reidar Digranes noted that the city had long anticipated this moment. Originally scheduled for 2021, the event was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “But as the saying goes, those who are waiting for something nice are not waiting in vain,” Digranes said. “We have certainly not been waiting in vain.”
Despite Bergen’s reputation for changeable weather, Digranes was optimistic: “We have a saying in Bergen that summer is the best day of the year, but it looks like we actually get several days of summer this year, all for our European fans.”
The competition gets underway at Fana Stadion at 9:30am local time (CEST) on Thursday 17 July and will be streamed live on the European Athletics website courtesy of Eurovision Sport, where additional live streams will be available.
Full event reports, live results and a live blog will also be available on the European Athletics website (registration sign-up required). There will also be regular postings on the European Athletics social media channels, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X and daily highlights on the European Athletics YouTube channel.