Rome is home for him. And the European Athletics Championships in the Capital City may become the springboard for Lorenzo Simonelli’s career. Last Saturday’s fantastic start to the season at the Memorial Giovannini in Ancona, with a time of 6.59 in the 60 metres flat, just one hundredth off the best Italian Under-23 performance achieved by Filippo Tortu in 2019, is confirmation that the young Italian can dream big, starting with his first outing in his favourite speciality, the 60 hurdles, scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 27 January, in Lodz, Poland. The first of a long series of competitions that will lead up to the European Athletics Championships, scheduled to take place in Rome from June 7-12.

“This year will be a very busy, with many competitions. The one we Italians certainly care about most is Roma 2024, since we will hold the European Athletics Championships at home. In particular at my home, because I was born in Roma. I have great ambitions for this event, I am really excited and happy. We are already preparing for the start of the indoor season, but especially thinking about Roma 2024” said Simonelli.

Simonelli, like all guys born in Rome, has a special relationship with the Olympic Stadium. “Since I was a child I went in the stadium to see the Golden Gala meeting and to admire the strongest athletes live. I saw beautiful competitions and dreamed of one day being able to express myself at the level of those great champions. In particular, I remember the thrill of seeing Usain Bolt run in Rome. During some Golden Galas I also went as a volunteer on duty at the Olympic Stadium: I had the task of moving the obstacles on the track according to the different disciplines and in the meantime I managed to snatch a few autographs from the athletes. Some of those guys today are my rivals in the competitions and I am truly honoured to be able to participate in the European Athletics Championships in Rome, in that same stadium where I used to cheer as a child”. Simonelli will turn 22 just a few days before the start of the European Athletics Championships and feels ready to improve steadily. “Last year I won silver at the Under-23 European Athletics Championships, I know that I can still grow and I am working on getting higher and higher. This year, together with the staff, we are focusing more on technique of hurdles.” added the Italian athlete.

“I face this discipline like you face life. The slightest mistake can make all the difference and ruin a race for you. So, hurdle by hurdle, steb by step, and you can overcome anything,’ Simonelli closes. .

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She chose to move to Rome after the Tokyo Olympics, inspired by the exploits of Marcell Jacobs, Gianmarco Tamberi and all the other Italian Olympic champions. It was there that Zaynab Dosso realised she did not want to stand by and watch. She changed city, pace, habits, decided to live athletics as a true professional. Saturday 27 January in Lodz (Poland) will be the first outing of the year for Italy’s fastest woman, record holder in the 60, 100 and 4×100. But thoughts are already turning to the European Championships in Rome, scheduled for 7 to 12 June, because such an event, just a few hundred metres from ‘her’ Paolo Rosi Stadium, does not happen every day.

“A few years ago I took the decision to move to the capital. It was not easy to move from a very small town (Rubiera, province of Reggio Emilia, ed.) to such a giant city, but it was the beginning of a dream, which will continue at the European Championships,” reveals the class of ’99, who hopes to present herself at her best at the big appointments of the season. “At 2024 I ask for a lot of health, which was lacking last year. We’ll need it to face the European Championships at home and the Olympics,” admits Zaynab, who has no doubts about the secret of the Italian relay team, with which she won bronze at the European Championships in Munich in 2022 and came close to the world podium in Budapest with an Italian record of 42.14 (fourth place): “Surely our strength is unity. We girls have always been united and the results we have achieved are the result of work that starts from afar”.

Cohesion, ambition, determination and a lot of willpower, following in the footsteps of Jacobs and Tamberi, models to follow: “What they did in Tokyo left me with an incredible fire inside. I was there, struggling with a thousand injuries, but they gave me great energy,” says Dosso, “and it was a magical moment. When I came back, I told myself that I had to do something for myself. I am dedicating my whole life to trying to achieve my goals”.

For the first time ever, athletes will compete for performance bonuses at the European Athletics Championships with an overall pot of €500,000 available at Roma 2024 this summer, European Athletics announced on Thursday (18). With both the Olympic Games and European Athletics Championships taking place on the continent, the innovation adds even more prestige to the latter event in what promises to be a historic summer for the sport.

Performance bonuses for Roma 2024 – which will be held between 7-12 June – were first agreed by the European Athletics Council in October, but European Athletics can now confirm both the amount and how the bonuses will be distributed. Ten performance bonuses of €50,000 each will be allocated across five event areas with an even split between the male and female disciplines as follows:

WOMEN

A) Sprints & Hurdles (100m, 200m, 400m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles)
B) Middle & Long Distance (800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, 3000m steeplechase)
C) Throws (Shot Put, Discus Throw, Hammer Throw, Javelin Throw)
D) Jumps (High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump)
E) Road, Combined Events & Relays (Half Marathon, 20km Race Walk, Heptathlon)

MEN

F) Sprints & Hurdles (100m, 200m, 400m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles)
G) Middle & Long Distance (800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10,000m, 3000m steeplechase)
H) Throws (Shot Put, Discus Throw, Hammer Throw, Javelin Throw)
I) Jumps (High Jump, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Triple Jump)
J) Road, Combined Events & Relays (Half Marathon, 20km Race Walk, Decathlon)

The athlete within each event area that achieves the highest scoring performance in the finals using World Athletics scoring tables will be awarded €50,000. It is a landmark development for the sport, with competitors set to earn financial rewards for the first time ever at Europe’s premier athletics event since the inaugural championships were held in Turin, Italy in 1934.

This is a truly historic development for the sport in Europe,” said European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov. “Within athletics, we are rightly proud of our rich heritage. And to ensure our sport remains healthy, prosperous and high-profile into the future, we need to be innovative, particularly with our showpiece event, the European Athletics Championships. “We want to see the best European athletes, delivering their best performances at our biggest competition. The performance bonuses will help achieve those aims to make Roma 2024 the exciting spectacle we all know it will be. “Our sport has long set an example for gender equality and equal opportunities, and we often take it for granted. But we should also celebrate that equal pay and recognition for male and female disciplines is something that is both expected and delivered in athletics. “Closer collaboration with elite athletes to promote our major events is core to the Strategic Roadmap and we welcome continued partnership to grow our sport together” added President Karamarinov.

The performance bonus model will be reviewed after Roma 2024 following feedback from athletes at the championships and the European Athletics Athletes Committee members.

Lea Sprunger, European Athletics Athletes Committee Chair and 2018 European 400m hurdles gold medallist, said: “We welcome the performance bonuses as a great step forward for our sport and I am sure it will help athletes produce their very best performances at Roma 2024.”

Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) and EuroRoma 2024 Foundation President Stefano Mei attended a private audience at the Vatican to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Athletica Vaticana – Athletics Vatican – sports club on Saturday (13).
During the ceremony for what is often described as the Holy See’s first sports club, which is also affiliated with FIDAL, Mei presented Pope Francis with a Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships T-shirt.
“I told Pope Francis that would be a great honour to welcome him to the Olympic Stadium for the Championships,” said Mei, who was the 1986 European 10,000m champion.
Mei also presented the Pope with another gift: a reproduction of the European Athletics Team Championships trophy won for the first time by the Italy in Silesia last June.

In the Apostolic Palace’s historic Clementine Hall in the Vatican, Pope Francis welcomed of Athletica Vaticana’s athletes, coaches, administrators, and their families, and commented on his, “joy for the presence of Athletica Vaticana on the streets, tracks and playing fields.”
Pope Francis added that, “it is significant that our meeting takes place in the first days of 2024, which is the Olympic and Paralympic Year. Thinking back to the value of the Olympic Truce’, my hope is that in the particularly dark historical moment that we are living, sport can build bridges, break down barriers, foster relations of peace.”
‘We identify perfectly with the Pope’s words on the values of sport. Athletics is the most global discipline that exists and is able to unite people, even in their diversity,” added Mei.

European Athletics has pleasure in announcing that Toyo Tires have renewed as an Official Partner for the period 2024-27.

Toyo Tires first became an Official Partner of European Athletics ahead of the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships and they continue to be a Partner in the category of ‘tyres’.

The company will have a significant presence at the following major continental athletics championships during the four-year period covered by the contract.

• Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships (7-12 June 2024)
• Apeldoorn 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships (6-9 March 2025)
• Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships
• 2027 European Athletics Indoor Championships

As a top-tier Official Partner, Toyo Tires will continue to benefit from extensive core marketing rights that include worldwide product category exclusivity, brand exposure in European Athletics’ ever-expanding digital and social media activities, exposure on Eurovision’s pan-European free-to-air broadcast coverage of the above championships, track perimeter LED advertising, additional exposure via European Athletics communications channels, ticketing, and VIP hospitality.

“I am delighted that Toyo Tires have decided to continue their association with European Athletics as an Official Partner. We have had a very harmonious relationship with them that has provided significant benefits to both of us. I feel very confident that this will carry on in the future and our relationship will continue to evolve and enhance both brands,” commented European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov.

“Toyo Tires first partnered with European Athletics more than five years ago and I think this demonstrates once again the value of our brand and our events. With two European Athletics Championships and two European Athletics Indoor Championships in the next four years, we can connect our partners like Toyo Tires to some of the world’s greatest exponents of our sport,” added European Athletics CEO Christian Milz.

“Working with European Athletics since 2018 has been hugely successful and we are privileged to have the opportunity to extend our partnership. The challenges athletes face in striving for better performance, closely mirrors our commitment to continuously improve our products. We look forward to building on our partnership as we develop together in the future,” said Toyo Tire Holdings of Europe Sales and Marketing Director Ralf Gutena.

Toyo Tires will continue alongside SPAR, Le Gruyère, Würth MODYF and Eurohold as an Official Partner, with EBU/Eurovision Sport as a Broadcast Partner, and Conica and Polanik as Preferred Suppliers.

The countdown to the start of the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships continues. From June 7 to June 12, the Foro Italico in Rome will be at the center of the international scene, offering fans the chance to see all the best athletes on the continent live.

With 150 days to go, we relive with emotion one of the memorable feats of Pietro Mennea, when, 50 years ago, he consolidated his extraordinary talent with two silver medals, in the 100 flat and in the 4X100, and with a gold medal by dominating the final of the 200 meters flat, in the very ‘last edition of the European Championships hosted by Italy fifty years ago, also in Rome.

It was Sept. 6, 1974, backed by the home crowd, the Apulian sprinter, then 23, won gold with a time of 20″60, ahead of Germany’s Manfred Ommer (West Germany) and Hans-Jurgen Bombach (East Germany).

Three days earlier Mennea had won the silver medal in the men’s 100 meters, finishing the final behind Valeriy Borzov (Soviet Union); on Sept. 8, 1974, the Italian champion was instrumental in the second place achieved by the Italian team in the 4×100 relay, behind France.

Mennea still holds the European 200-meter record (19″72) and is internationally recognized as one of the best sprinters ever. To honor his memory, the Stadio dei Marmi, the iconic sports facility that during the upcoming Rome 2024 European Athletics Championships will be the main training and warm-up field for athletes in preparation for competitions at the Olympic Stadium, was named after him.

Christmas brings to you a special opportunity to book a seat at the Olympic Stadium for the Rome 2024 European Athletics Championships!

From 7 to 12 June, the best European athletes will compete legendary arena and the Foro Italico. Thanks to the special promotion designed for the Christmas holidays, and active until Jan. 31, it is possible to get three tickets for the price of two. The 33% discount on the total ticket price of the tickets is available at roma2024.vivaticket.it by selecting a minimum of three tickets valid for the individual competition evening sessions of the European Championships.

The Championships program offers six consecutive days of competition and a total of eleven morning and evening sessions. The medals of all disciplines will be awarded inside the Olympic Stadium, including the finishes of the men’s and women’s 20km Race Walk (evening sessions of 7 and 8 June) and the men’s and women’s Half Marathon (morning session of 9 June).

During this promotional period, tickets for the morning sessions will also be on sale, with prices starting from 5 euros (presale and service fees to be added). Subscriptions are also available for the first three days of the European Athletics Championships (Starting Days, 7-9 June) and the last three days (Ending Days, 10-12 June). The All-In season ticket will allow athletics fans to celebrate the European star of the sport from the stands of the Rome Olympic Stadium during all the competitions scheduled from 7 to 12 June 2024.

Time is running for the start of the greatest international sport event in Italy next year. From 7 to 12 June, Rome will host the European Athletics Championships 2024 in the legendary Olympic Stadium and the Foro Italico Park. During five morning and six evening sessions, fans in the stands will witness the most exciting performances of the continent’s best athletes live.

Premium tickets are on sale now for the Monte Mario Grandstand. Seats are located in correspondence with the start and finish lines on the track.

All finals will take place inside the Olympic Stadium, including the women’s and men’s 20km race walk (scheduled respectively for the evenings of 7 and 8 June) and the men’s and women’s half marathon, which will be run in the morning of Sunday, 9 June. The half marathon route will touch the most iconic sights in the Eternal City and will finish inside the Olympic Stadium.

Tickets for the different sessions are available at roma2024.vivaticket.it, prices starting from 5 euro plus presale and service fees.

Subscriptions are on sale also for the first three days of the competition (Starting Weekend, 7-9 June) and for the last three days (Ending Days, 10-12 June) as well as ‘All-In’ subscriptions valid for the access to the entire competition. Those who purchase at least three tickets for the evening sessions or three subscriptions in the same transaction will receive a 10% discount on all tickets. Children up to 6 years of age can enter the stadium for free.

A historic day for Italian athletics, graced by a special announcement ahead of the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships: “I will be there of course. I don’t know how many times, I hope to be present at least at the opening.” President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella said this as he met at the Quirinale with the Italian national track and field team that won the European Cup in Poland and the national modern pentathlon team that became World Team Champions in England.

“The appreciation for you is very great because you convey a message of commitment, sacrifice and dedication,” Mattarella added, congratulating Italian captain Gianmarco Tamberi and all the athletes present.

“Today we learned with infinite joy and extreme satisfaction that President Mattarella wants to be present at the Olympic Stadium already on the opening day of the European Championships and will try to attend the competitions of our champions as many times as possible,” said President of the Italian Athletics Federation and EuroRoma 2024 Foundation Stefano Mei.

The ceremony was also attended by Coni President Giovanni Malagò, Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Andrea Abodi and Italian Modern Pentathlon Federation President Fabrizio Bittner, as well as Coni Secretary General Carlo Leonardo Mornati and the technical directors and athletes of the two teams.

“These two federations had never been received ‘alone’ in the home of the Italians: it happens because there has been an incredible and repeated series of successes. In 2024 we will have the European Championships at home, where we hope you can honor us with your presence, and then Paris, where we trust that you will make us feel your presence, your affection and expertise, your passion for sports but also the sharing of certain moments,” Malagò said addressing Mattarella.

“Representing Italy is an honor, but it also brings pressure. And this, too often accentuated, injures the innermost part of us. I ask that we recognize our humanity,” Tamberi’s message.