IOC President Thomas Bach, IAAF President Sebastian Coe and EOC President Patrick Hickey will be the prestigious keynote speakers at the European Athletics Convention in Lausanne, Switzerland, this weekend.
European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen personally invited each of the Presidents to speak at the opening of the Convention on the morning of Friday 16 October.
“European Athletics is honoured that the Presidents of the International Olympic Committee, International Association of Athletics Federations and European Olympic Committees will address our Member Federations at the Convention,” said President Hansen. “We are sure that our Members will derive great value and inspiration from these speeches.
“We believe that this year’s Convention will be the biggest and best ever after our decision to revamp the format. It will further unite the European Athletics community and generate increased media interest.
“A jewel in the crown of the Convention is, of course, the European Athletics Golden Tracks, and I am looking to a glamorous and prestigious night attended by our best athletes of 2015.”
The Golden Tracks, the annual awards 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 on Saturday 17 October. The TV programme will be streamed live worldwide on the European Athletics website, with a highlights programme distributed by Eurovision to its members.
The Convention programme (15-19 October) also includes a European Athletics Extraordinary Congress, the traditional Calendar Conference for athletics meeting organisers, and European Athletics Forums. The Euromeetings Board and General Assembly, Athletics Association of the Small States of Europe and Nordic Countries will also all arrange meetings.
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.
An overhaul of the Convention was one of the first items the Executive Board addressed following the European Athletics elections in April, creating a working group made up of Vice President Frank Hensel, Council member Márton Gyulai and European Athletics Head Office staff.