A European Athletics delegation visited Cheboksary on 23-24 April for a two-day coordination meeting headed by European Athletics Vice-President Karel Pilny.
'The main purpose of our visit was to assist in the planning of the European Athletics Team Championships. We are very pleased that the preparations for the championships are run by a great team, and there is confidence that Cheboksary will hold this competition on a high European level,” Pilny said.
The members of the delegation inspected hotels, the central stadium, and discussed marketing, promotion and security topics. They also were impressed with the idea of organising the opening ceremony in the Red Square of Cheboksary, so as to involve the greatest amount of spectators.
A meeting was held at the Government House with members of the local organising committee, headed by the chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Chuvash Republic Ivan Motorin.
Members of the organising committee revealed that the experience gained during the IAAF World Cup Racing Walking in 2008 and subsequent major international competitions held in Russia will “allow for proper preparation for such an important athletics event.”
The Russian organising committee then made a presentation outlining the preparation plans and continued to discuss key issues.
Executive Director of the Cheboksary organising committee Mikhail Butov added: “We will use the European Athletics Team Championships to attract children and young people to the sport of athletics, and organise special events around the Volga region to promote the competition in the coming year.”
This year’s European Athletics Team Championships Super League takes place in the German city of Braunschweig where the top 12 European countries will do battle from 21-22 June.