European Athletics – (EAA) – News – European Athlete of the Year and Rising Star Awards nominations for 2012

European Athletics is delighted to announce the nominations for the 2012 European Athlete of the Year and European Athletics Rising Star Awards.

The online poll to choose the winners is now open, with voting taking place on the European Athletics website until 26 September 2012.

The lists for both the European Athlete of the Year and Rising Star categories were compiled by selecting the top European athlete in different athletics disciplines based on performances at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships, Istanbul 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, other European Athletics and IAAF events and the series of Diamond League and European Athletics meetings.

For the European Athlete of the Year nominations, only winners at either the London 2012 Olympic Games or the Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships have been selected.

Only in very exceptional cases are two athletes from one event nominated.

The award winners will be decided by votes from the general public, media, European Athletics Member Federations and an expert panel, with the results from each group of voters counting for one quarter of the athlete's final score. Each voter must select their five preferred athletes and rank them in order of priority.

Members of the public who have voted for the top three male and female athletes in the correct order in the poll will be entered into a draw to win a two-night trip for two to the Göteborg 2013 European Athletics Indoor Championships. There will also be some runners-up prizes.

Speaking about the award, European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz said, "The year 2012 showed that athletics remains the biggest and most popular sport in the Olympic programme. It was another exciting year for the sport in Europe, with the Helsinki 2012 European Athletics Championships, the first of the two-year cycle for the championships, proving to be a successful event and an excellent precursor to a memorable Olympics.

"In a year of excellent performances, to be nominated for the best athlete in Europe is a huge honour and one that is greatly valued by the athletes. However, I must stress that European Athletics has always held a very strong line against doping and any athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban has been omitted from the list of nominations."

The 2012 European Athletes of the Year and European Athletics Rising Stars will be invited to collect their awards during the European Athletics Convention in St Julians, Malta, on Saturday 13 October.

The European Athlete of the Year award was introduced by European Athletics in 1993 and this year is the 20th time the trophy will be awarded.

European Athlete of the Year previous winners (1993-2011):

European Athletics Rising Star previous winners (2007-2011):

Click here to cast your vote.

European Athletics – (EAA) – News