European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen visited the stadium that will host the 2017 European Athletics U20 Championships in Grosseto, Italy, along with Council member Alfio Giomi and Adriano Buccelli, Head of the Grosseto 2017 Local Organising Committee, last Friday.
Earlier in the morning, President Hansen was received by Mayor of Grosseto Emilion Bonifazi and Deputy Mayor Paolo Borghi at the City Hall to discuss the city’s role in organising the championships.
“The U20 champs represent a turning point in some athletes’ careers and it’s our duty to offer the best impression and a unique experience to these young talents,” said President Hansen.
“Following our visit, I fully trust the organisational structure both at national and local levels for what I expect to be another fantastic competition in 2017.”
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Hansen and Giomi then travelled to Florence for the G5 in Athletics meeting held over the weekend, where representatives of the French, German, Great Britain, Italian and Spanish federations gathered.
Among the topics of discussion was the positioning of the European Athletics Championships in the international calendar and a common strategy for road racing across the five federations.
The federations also outlined a marketing strategy regarding national team vests and agreed to pursue new competitions consisting of international matches between countries.
The G5 members supported the idea to propose European substitute venues for the 2016 World Junior Championships and World Race Walking Team Championships which had initially been allocated to the All-Russia Athletic Federation (ARAF).
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