The first of 14 European Athletics Indoor Permit Meetings takes place one month today (2). The series spans 10 countries across a 25 day period on the road to the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China from 13-15 March.
France is staging five of the 14 meetings and the series begins with the Meeting de Paris Indoor on 2 February and concludes with the Serbian Open Indoor Meeting in Belgrade on 27 February.
With the indoor season fast approaching, we have highlighted nine European athletes who will be competing throughout the indoor season.
Malaika Mihambo
Fresh from an unbeaten summer campaign culminating with a spectacular 7.30m performance at the World Championships in Doha, Mihambo will be chasing the indoor equivalent in Nanjing in March. Mihambo has a busy indoor campaign planned including the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin on 14 February as well as the German Indoor Championships where she plans to contest both the 60m and long jump.
Armand Duplantis
One of the anticipated highlights of the indoor season is the All Star Perche in Clermont-Ferrand on 23 February when Duplantis faces two-time world champion Sam Kendricks, world bronze medallist Piotr Lisek from Poland and world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie who also happens to be the meeting organiser. Duplantis is also confirmed for World Athletics Indoor Tour events in Dusseldorf (4 February) and Torun (8 February).
Piotr Lisek
The Pole was one of the busiest and most successful athletes last season, competing in no fewer than 34 competitions and finishing either first, second or third on 31 occasions. Lisek will be looking to bring this form into the 2020 season and as well as Clermont-Ferrand, Lisek is also confirmed for the Orlen Cup in Lodz on 11 February as well as World Athletics Indoor Tour events in Dusseldorf (4 February) and Torun (8 February).
Dafne Schippers
Schippers isn’t planning to compete at the World Indoor Championships but the Dutchwoman has a number of events lined up in February including the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin. Schippers won at this meeting three years ago in 7.00 to tie Nelli Cooman’s long-standing Dutch record. Schippers is also confirmed for Karlsruhe on 31 January.
Karsten Warholm
The reigning world and European 400m hurdles champion is planning a low key indoor campaign. He will headline the Karsten Warholm Invitational which takes place in his hometown of Ulsteinvik on 28 February which also coincides with his 24th birthday. Warholm is also planning to compete at the Norwegian Indoor Championships in Baerum on 7-8 March.
Miltiadis Tentoglou
Tentoglou is planning a full indoor season ahead of the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing where a first senior global medal could beckon for the jumper who has already won European indoor and outdoor titles at the age of 21. Among the competitions on his itinerary are the Czech Indoor Gala in Ostrava on 5 February, World Athletics Indoor Tour events in Karlsruhe (31 January) and Madrid (21 February) and the Greek Indoor Championships (28-29 February).
Mariya Lasitskene
Unbeaten in major championships since 2014, Lasitskene will be looking to extend her marvellous streak in big events at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing. Her first international competition of the season is due to be in Cottbus on 29 January ahead of Karlsruhe on 31 January.
Orlando Ortega
Ortega competed prolifically indoors in 2019, winning seven of his nine finals in the 60m hurdles as a precursor to a successful summer campaign highlighted by wins at the European Team Championships and The Match and a bronze medal at the World Championships in Doha. Ortega is planning another season on the boards and has just been announced for the Meeting de l’Eure in Val de Reuil on 14 February.
Konrad Bukowiecki
European silver medallist Bukowiecki is confirmed for the Orlen Cup in Lodz on 11 February and is planning another full indoor season climaxing the World Indoor Championships where he is likely to face both Ryan Crouser and Tom Walsh, the silver and bronze medallists from the legendary final at the World Championships in Doha. Bukowiecki only finished sixth in the final despite throwing 21.46m.
Elsewhere...
Laura Muir is confirmed for the World Athletics Indoor Tour event in Glasgow on 15 February when she will chase Maria Mutola's world indoor 1000m record of 2:30.94. Muir is second on the world indoor all-time list with a European record of 2:31.93 which was set in 2017.
World heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson is also confirmed for the same meeting. She hasn't confirmed which event she will compete in but the programme includes both a long jump and a high jump.
Jakob and Filip Ingebrigtsen will make their 2020 debuts at the World Athletics Indoor Tour event in Dusseldorf on 4 February. Jakob won the 1500m on the same track last year in a world indoor U20 record of 3:36.02.