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Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or even the Pan American Games; whatever multi sport international event it be, athletics inevitably takes centre stage. Reserved for the final leg of the duration of the games, the competitions on track and field are most followed and needless to say, the athletes winning them are most adored.
Also except for the Olympics, all the aforementioned are scheduled in a way that they do not clash with the IAAF calendar or for that matter start when the season ends.
It thus came as a surprise when inaugural European Games in Azerbaijan clashed with the continent’s athletics team championships.
Realising their mistake though, the Organising Committee recently confirmed that the cherished sport is set to play a leading role in the next European Games. This after Patrick Hickey, President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), revealed the next edition will be held at a time which will not clash with the sport's other leading events.
Hickey is believed to have been working closely with Svein Arne Hansen since the Norwegian was elected President of European Athletics in April and together they are trying to ensure that an encore of the debacle which ensued in Baku is avoided.
Reason behind failure in Baku
Explaining that the real reason behind the inaugural continental bonanza, an insider mentioned that the final of the Super League, which featured most of the continent's top athletes, had been awarded to Cheboksary in Russia in November 2012, a month before the European Games was approved and awarded to Baku by the EOC.
The event in Azerbaijan thus instead hosted the European Team Championships Third League, which was of such a poor standard that most performances did not register in the top 200 of the International Association of Athletics Federations' annual ranking list.
Assurance that it wont happen again
Hickey announced that the 2019 European Games will be held between June 14 and 29, thus keeping it in sync with the European Athletics calendar.
Interestingly, the venue for the second European Games too isn't confirmed yet. This as the Netherlands withdrew earlier this year. Its replacement is due to be announced by the EOC at its annual General Assembly in Prague next month.
"European Athletics and the European Olympic Committees have strong shared values and we both put athletes and our constituent members at the heart of our planning," Hickey, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee's ruling Executive Board, mentioned to delegates ahead of the European Athletics Awards in Lausanne yesterday.
“With Svein Arne’s new vision for athletics in Europe, and the advent of the European Games, I believe there is a great synergy between our two organisations and I look forward to continuing our discussions to find the optimum solution for athletes for the summer of 2019,” he added.
