Following the conclusion of the European Athletics Team Championships on Sunday, a key component of the ongoing European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023, leaders of the key organisations involved have made note of the event’s successes and impact.
“In just three editions, the European Games have advanced to the point where many of the competitions here are either European Championships or offer Olympic qualification places,” said European Olympic Committees (EOC) President Spyros Capralos. “The EOC is very pleased that athletics is among the sports whose best competitors, including Olympic champions, could join us to be part of Krakow-Malopolska 2023.”
Combining the European Athletics Team Championships with the European Games created a competition format that led to some innovative situations; while competing for team honours with their respective nations, the top finishers in each event have also been rewarded with European Games medals.
“European Athletics is very pleased that we and the EOC have been able to honour both the winning teams and also those individual athletes who shone on to their occasion during our time together here in Poland,” commented European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov.
“I think having the European Athletics Team Championships being held as part of the European Games was a win-win situation. European Athletics and the athletes themselves benefitted being part of this very important continental event and I believe that the EOC benefitted from our sport being a hugely committed contributor to these European Games with 47 of our Member Federations taking part.”
“The level of performances on the track was outstanding, with European Athletics Team Championship records being set in all three divisions. In addition, although we do not have the full figures as yet, I expect the audience figures – whether through national rights holders, our live streaming and our extensive efforts on digital and social media platforms, to be very strong” underlined the EA President.
“It was definitely worth being part of the European Games and I am very glad European Athletics have extended their involvement this time compared to the previous two editions. We very much look forward to being involved in the European Games again in four years’ time and are grateful to all who contributed to the event’s success.
“In addition, it should be noted that the 2028 European Athletics Championships will be held in the very same venue in Silesia. I think this shows our love for this region,” added Karamarinov.
An enhanced outside broadcast operation enabled footage of the highest quality to be provided to European fans throughout the competitions. Extensive highlight clipping also enabled extraordinary social media content, enabling viral coverage of special moments like Belgian shot-putter Jolien Boumkwo’s performance in the 100m hurdles, as she took the place of an injured teammate. Clips of her race quickly earned tens of millions of video views.
While in-person attendance was lower than expected, Mayor of the European Games 2023 Athletes’ Village and four-time Olympic Champion in racewalking for Poland Robert Korzeniowski also shared his perspective as a Cracovian and former athlete: “As someone who knows this stadium, and this region’s athletics heritage better than most, I know that many sports fans took advantage in the recent days of the opportunity to see sports which are not often played at the highest level in Krakow and the Malopolska region. As many as 15 other sports also took place at the same time as athletics, with packed crowds at BMX freestyle, sport climbing, 3×3 basketball, padel, diving and others. To have given local fans so much to choose from is something we should only be proud of.”
“It is true we had hoped for bigger numbers of spectators in the stadium itself but having the European Athletics Team Championships as part of the European Games in this format for the first time was still a very important innovation” said the President of the Organising Committee for Krakow Malopolska 2023 Marcin Nowak. “But we have been very happy to have the opportunity to welcome thousands of athletes from all over Europe to compete, and to share with them this special place we call home.”
After 37 events, the Team standings saw Italy on the top with 426.50 points, followed by Poland 402.50 points and Germany 387.50 points. Meanwhile, athletes from 31 countries won individual medals.
