In April 2017, the European Athletics Council agreed to implement the Focus Federation Programme as means of enhancing the transparency, improving communication and increasing understanding between European Athletics and its Member Federations.
Each year, two federations will be invited to participate by exchanging information with the European Athletics Head Office staff and making a presentation to the European Athletics Council. The programme is offered to all federations that are not currently represented on the Council.
At the European Athletics Council meeting this weekend in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, the first presentation of the programme was made, by the Belarus Athletic Federation.
Representatives of the federation expanded on their areas of activity with respect to Kids’ Athletics – including their highly-regarded 300 Talents for the Queen national schools’ competition – national and international competitions, and mass participation events.
In addition, the Belarus Athletics Federation also gave details on their efforts to market and promote our sport, especially through social media, and their national awards gala.
The presentation followed on from extensive preparatory work – including the collection of agreed data by the Belarus federation on its country’s athletics structure, its organisation and operation, and its development plans – in conjunction with the European Athletics’ Member Federation Development Department, which included a two-and-a-half day visit to the European Athletics Head Office in Lausanne when there were initial presentations of work areas and ideas for better cooperation with Head Office staff were exchanged.