13 April 2011

The European Athletics presidential election will be decided on Saturday 16 April during the continental body’s Congress in London hosted by UKA.

Current Vice-President Svein Arne Hansen of Norway and the incumbent President Hansjörg Wirz of Switzerland are the two candidates vying for the role to lead, direct and represent European Athletics for the period 2011-2015.

The election of the president, three vice-presidents and 13 Council members are the central themes of the 22nd European Athletics Congress this weekend.

There are six candidates for vice-presidency and 25 candidates for Council. This means that half of European Athletics’ Member Federations have a candidate for the top decision-making forum of athletics on the continent.

There are also 15 and 14 candidates, respectively, for the four posts on the Competition and Development Committees.

In total, 34 Member Federations have put forward candidates.

European Athletics Director General Christian Milz said, “This will be an historic Congress for European Athletics. The calibre of candidates for election is outstanding, all 50 European Athletics Member Federations are set to vote, and I am sure that those elected will take our sport in Europe to the next level.”

Ed Warner, Chairman of host Member Federation UKA, said, “It’s an honour and a privilege to host the European Congress in London. Bringing European delegates to our capital just one year before the 2012 Games is a fantastic opportunity to continue the momentum we have felt within the sport.”

A special booklet with curriculum vitae of all candidates for election is available on the European Athletics website here: http://www.european-athletics.org/files/publications/congress-booklet_2011.pdf

European Athletics will hold a Council meeting ahead of the Congress on Friday and another for the newly elected Council on Sunday morning.