European Athletics (EAA) – News – Göteborg 2013 a step forward for the sport, says President Wirz

Göteborg's third hosting of the European Athletics Indoor Championships will help European Athletics to take a "step forward", the organisation's President, Hansjörg Wirz, said today.

And they could also help the city in a possible bid for the World Athletics Championships in 2021, when Göteborg celebrates its 400th anniversary.

Speaking at the press conference preceding the Championships which run from March 1-3, President Wirz said he was "very, very happy" to be back in the city which had been home to the European indoors in 1974 and 1984, with all the action taking place within the vast Scandinavium complex.

"These championships will help us to take another step forward in terms of integrating our sport into society," Wirz said.

European Athletics' Director General Christian Milz added: "These European Athletics Indoor Championships are very special – they are the most important athletics competition since the very successful Olympics in London and they have a very innovative concept of being all under one roof.

"There is a clear vision for this event which recognises the possibilities for hosting a future world championships.

"The organisers have also staged the men's and women's shot put where the public will be able to see them very close. This is the first time spectators will be able to get as close as this to the athletes during a championships. It is a new concept."

Asked to elaborate on the suggestion that Göteborg might bid for another World Championships, having hosted the 1995 version, Camilla Nyman, CEO of Goteborg and Co responded:

"Since 1995 we have hosted large events in athletics, and we want to do more in the future. In 2021 Gothenburg celebrates its 400th anniversary and of course the jewel in the crown that year would be to host a big international athletics event. Time will tell, but the goal is definitely once again to be host of an international athletics event."

Milz added: "There will be 578 athletes taking part, from 47 of the 50 members within our federation," Milz added. "Every leader of this year's lists will be here for the men, and all but two of the women. There will be a total of 26 gold medals being competed for.

"In terms of TV, the championships are set to receive more than 250 hours of coverage within Europe, and last but not least we will be live streaming the action on our website."

Sweden's former world and Olympic heptathlon champion Carolina Kluft is part of the European Athletics Green Inspiration, which is challenging athletics fans in Sweden to help raise the event to world-class status for sustainability by completing climate promises and becoming "Eco Champs".

The initiative, which has been designed in collaboration with the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and given the European Athletics Green Inspiration label, aims to attract more than 6,000 people to register their pledges at the Eco Champs website www.klimatmastare.se

Wirz added: "Our competition programmes have developed to the point where we can give to all athletes at all different performance levels a step forward to the top, starting from the junior and under-23 competitions. There is not much more to do here.

"But the other part is integrating our sport into society, and using our values. We need to show how athletics can be used for health. This must be part of our movement.

And our sport cannot survive if we do not get the kind of support we have had here in Göteborg in terms of facilities. We need stadiums. Football is not our friend in this regard. Football wants to have its own stadiums, but we cannot have our competitions in stand-alone stadiums."

Toralf Nilsson, the Local Organising Committee president, commented: "This is the third time we have hosted the indoor championships here in Gothenburg, and this time we have a new concept, with everything taking place under one roof.

"Together with more than 800 volunteers and the assistance of European Athletics and our other partners in the city we are working hard to make sure this event is a success."

 European Athletics (EAA) – News