The European Athletics Convention in Lausanne in October will be the “biggest and best ever,” says President Svein Arne Hansen following his decision to revamp the annual summit.
President Hansen will be joined by the new IAAF President and European Olympic Committees President Patrick Hickey, among other sporting dignitaries, to open the Convention with keynote speeches and a press conference on Friday 16 October.
A “glamorous and prestigious” European Athletics Golden Tracks – the annual awards night for the men’s and women’s European athletes of the year and rising stars – will take place at the Swiss Tech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Saturday 17 October.
Running over five days (15-19 October), with the Moevenpick Hotel in Ouchy the main location, the Convention will also include European Athletics Forums among a number of Commission, Expert Group and Project Group meetings.
A European Athletics Extraordinary Congress will also be held on Friday morning, ahead of a lunch hosted by the IAAF and then the traditional Calendar Conference for athletics meeting organisers.
The Euromeetings Board and General Assembly, Athletics Association of the Small States of Europe and Nordic Countries will also all arrange meetings on the Friday.
A new addition to the Convention, the European Athletics Communication Managers Seminar focusing on the promotion of the Amsterdam 2016 European Athletics Championships will run through Sunday 18 October to Monday 19 October. Attendees will also be present at the Golden Tracks to promote the prestigious awards to their respective national media.
“The Convention in Lausanne in October will be the biggest and best ever and will deliver greater value to our Member Federations, will further unite the European Athletics community, and generate increased media interest,” said President Hansen.
“The jewel in the crown of the Convention is the European Athletics Golden Tracks, and I am looking to a glamorous and prestigious awards night that showcases our sport in the best possible way, attended by our best athletes of 2015, our Member Federation Presidents and General Secretaries, and many more sporting dignitaries.”
The Golden Tracks awards programme will again be televised and live streamed, with the international signal and highlights programme distributed by Eurovision to its members.
President Hansen will welcome Convention delegates at an opening dinner hosted by the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud on the evening of Thursday 15 October at the Royal Savoy Hotel.
An overhaul of the Convention was one of the first items Hansen addressed with his new Executive Board following his election in April, creating a working group made up of Vice President Frank Hensel, Council member Marton Gyulai and European Athletics Head Office staff.
A presentation of the provisional programme for the revamped Convention was well received by the European Athletics Council in Oslo at the weekend.