Howe meets students and institutions “I want to be there in Roma 2024”

Bring institutions, the world of sports and young people into dialogue to tell the story of the value of major sporting events in the process of European integration. That was the goal of the debate “Sport Unites Europe,” held today at the Esperienza Europa – David Sassoli space in Rome. The event was sponsored by the EuroRoma 2024 Foundation, which is organizing the upcoming European Athletics Championships, in collaboration with the European Commission Representation in Italy and the European Parliament Office in Italy.

In front of a group of students and teachers from Liceo Ginnasio Torquato Tasso and Liceo Scientifico Paritario San Giovanni Battista, Vice-President of the European Parliament Pina Picierno, Director of the European Parliament Office in Italy Carlo Corazza, Head of the European Commission Representation in Italy Antonio Parenti, Director General of the EuroRoma 2024 Foundation Paolo Carito and Italian athlete Andrew Howe participated in the debate.

“Often when we think of European institutions we think of them as an agglomeration of bureaucracy living a detached existence from the plane of reality, but without the social, cultural and sports infrastructure every single action we take would be in vain. This is also why sports is one of our main areas of action also envisaged by the Lisbon Treaty, representing a vector for promoting the values of inclusion and active participation, spreading correct lifestyles. Organizing and hosting an international event such as the European Athletics Championships will allow Italy to start paths to raise awareness, especially among the younger generations, about the importance of physical and motor activity, precisely at a time when our country and most European countries are experiencing a worrying increase in sedentariness with serious effects on both physical and mental health. Bringing younger people into the sports system means ensuring their rights and emancipation, particularly in the most distressed geographical and urban areas, primarily in the South. The appointment in Rome will therefore be an opportunity to reconnect a piece of our country to sports and in particular to a historical discipline with wide penetration capacity like athletics,” said Pina Picierno.

Paolo Carito recounted the lead-up to the upcoming European Athletics Championships, scheduled for June 7-12, 2024, in Rome, emphasizing the adherence to the project of volunteers who will participate in the organization of the event. “About 25 percent of the requests we received came from countries outside Italy, and we are preparing to form an international team of young volunteers who will make a vital contribution to the success of the event. Also in the stands of the Olympic Stadium we expect the participation of many sports fans from all over Europe,” Carito explained.

Andrew Howe, European outdoor and indoor champion and vice-world champion in the long jump, recounted the different experiences he had during his glorious career and revealed his desire to participate in the next European Athletics Championships, when he will be 39 years old, to close his career in front of the home crowd at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. “I have had the privilege of participating in many international events and winning gold twice at the European level. In athletics competitions there are no boundaries and you can compare yourself with so many kids from different backgrounds, but who have the same dreams and goals as you. Now I have to honor a promise I made to my mom: to close my career at the European Athletics Championships here in Rome, and I’m giving it my all to achieve that goal,” Howe said.

Karhu’s technical apparel at the European Championships

The Finnish sportswear brand Karhu will be the official supplier of the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, scheduled for June 7-12 next year. This agreement represents a connection with a glorious past, thanks to the full involvement of Franco Arese, who has led the Karhu company for ten years. Arese is a former athlete and he won the gold medal in the 1,500-meter race at the European Championships in Helsinki in 1971. Later he started a new chapter of his life as an entrepreneur and a sports politician, Arese was the president of the Italian Athletics Federation from 2005 to 2012, and now he decided to participate in the Rome 2024 European Championships project, which will bring Italy and the capital Rome back to the center of the international athletics scene.

“Karhu was the sponsor of the 1971 European Championships in Helsinki and more than 50 years later will return to Rome. This is a perfect link between the most important success of my career as an athlete, the gold in the 1500 meters in Helsinki, and Italy, my country. Now there is a new challenge as an entrepreneur alongside my sons and our staff, a story that continues and gives me great energy and enthusiasm,” explains Franco Arese, Chairman of Karhu.

Karhu will be responsible for the production and supply of clothing for the officials, members of the organizing committee staff and volunteers who will contribute to the success of the Rome 2024 European Athletics Championships. In addition, the Finnish company will produce the official merchandising material for the event, which will go on sale starting in the coming months and will also be available in the stores of the Commercial Village set up outside the Olympic Stadium during the sporting event.

“When we met, I caught in the eyes of Karhu’s managers, first and foremost Franco Arese, the desire to approach this challenge in a special way. Karhu will provide us with a beautiful collection of clothing, which will help make the experience of the competition judges and all the staff who will participate in the organization of the European Athletics Championships exceptional,” said Paolo Carito, general manager of the EuroRoma 2024 Foundation.

The company

Karhu, that means “bear” in Finnish, is a leading brand that has been making and supplying technical running and outdoor clothing for a century. The company is linked to athletics by a long history that is a valuable legacy for keeping up with the times, and has a deep connection with outdoor activity and the natural environment. Indeed, Karhu follows the Finnish principles of simplicity of design and purity of running. Karhu shoes have been worn by Finland’s greatest athletes, including champion Paavo Nurmi, 12 Olympic medalists, 9 of them gold, as well as five Boston Marathon winners. Karhu shoes and clothing are sold worldwide at running and lifestyle retailers.

Larissa Iapichino in the Metaverse: ‘I chose athletics for Bolt’

A media event in an unprecedented digital scenario, opening a new frontier for innovation in Italian sports. European Under-20 long jump champion Larissa Iapichino was interviewed in the Metaverse built specifically for the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships. The project developed by the EuroRoma2024 Foundation, together with Metaverse Partner XMetaReal, offers people around the world the opportunity to have an immersive experience in the environments – reproduced digitally – that will host the athletics competitions next year from June 7-12. From the Olympic Stadium to the avenues of the Foro Italico Park, athletics fans and beyond can begin to breathe in the atmosphere of the European Athletics Championships well in advance, find out in advance where the platforms for jumps and throws will be located and, soon, buy tickets directly inside the Metaverse.

“The Metaverse is a really cool experience, as they say in my neck of the woods it’s cool! It’s an innovative way to socialize, technology gives us these gems that I think are very interesting,” said Larissa Iapichino, who answered questions from Sky Sports reporter Federica Frola and other connected visitors.

“As a child, I never thought that athletics would become my job. I fell in love with the sport not so much because of the example my mom set, but because of Usain Bolt. Coming from a family of Jamaican descent, I remember us gathering on the couch at home to watch Bolt’s races and even my grandmother would jump in. Seeing him run was really exciting. With athletics you never get bored, it is very dynamic and varied, there are so many different athletes fighting to get as high as possible. During middle school I realized that I had a knack for athletics and I started practicing it in earnest,” Iapichino recounted.

Upcoming events in the Rome 2024 Metaverse will be announced on the official website of the competition.

Historic decision: bonuses for best athletes in Roma 2024

The European Athletics Council unanimously approved the awarding of performance bonuses to athletes at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships during its 171st meeting of the Council held in Vilnius, Lithuania on Wednesday (18).

The format and the structure of the bonuses will be unveiled at a later date, but this is a landmark decision for European Athletics as it will be the first time since the European Athletics Championships were inaugurated in 1934 that financial rewards for competitors will be directly available.

“I am very pleased that we have been able to announce that for the first time there will be performance bonuses awarded at the European Athletics Championships. This is a historic decision,” said European Athletics President Dobromir Karamarinov. “Offering special bonuses for excellent achievements by our athletes in this important format will further incentivise Europe’s top athletes competing in Rome next summer but also it adds an additional point of interest for the fans and media which, in turn, definitely adds value to the championships.

“We will of course continue our very stable and sustainable investment in events, competitions and Member Federations and athletics development. However, this historic Council decision will further strengthen our position of always having the athletes themselves at the forefront of our thinking. European Athletics is now able to further enhance the attractiveness of the premier event in our competition portfolio without diminishing our other important commitments.” added Karamarinov.

“I, and the rest of the Athletes Committee, welcome this decision for the European Athletics Championships,” commented European Athletics Athletes Committee chair Lea Sprunger. “All of us on the Committee have been pushing for more financial opportunities for athletes and see this as a first good step in the right direction,” added the 2018 European Athletics Championships 400m hurdles champion from Switzerland.

Also approved by the Council was a Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships ‘Ambassadors Programme’ which will see international and Italian athletics stars at the forefront of the promotional and marketing campaign for the championships.

Karamarinov recognised that 2024 will be a busy year for high profile sports events – with the EURO (European football championships) and Paris 2024 Olympic Games staged shortly after Roma 2024 – but noted the increasing cooperation between European Athletics, its Member Federations, the Italian athletics federation (FIDAL) and the Roma 2024 Local Organising Committee to make Europe’s most important athletics event one of the most significant sports events of the year.

Read the news on European Athletics website

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Osakue: “Roma 2024 will be the chance of my life”

The European Athletics Championships at home, 50 years after the last edition in Rome 1974. Next year’s event at the Olympic Stadium will be unmissable for Italian national team athletes who will have the chance to compete in front of their home crowd.

A confirmation of the importance of Roma 2024 in the planning of the upcoming season comes from Daisy Osakue, the Italian record holder in the discus throw. In an interview with Atletica Italiana Tv, the channel of the Italian Athletics Federation, the Italian athlete showed all her excitement and anticipation for the competitions to be held June 7-12, 2024.

“European Championships in Rome opportunity of a lifetime? Absolutely,” Daisy replies confidently, “the fact that the event comes before the Olympics gives it greater value.
Having all my family, my friends at the Olympic Stadium, I get chills just thinking about it, it’s an opportunity I wouldn’t want to miss.”

The excitement, in short, is already great, and the Italian thrower wants to prepare herself as best as possible. “Knowing me,” Osakue further explains, “I know that I have to lower ‘the fires,’ so that I can arrive at the appointment focused, with the right level of eagerness, but without ruining everything with anxiety and too high expectations. So yes, Rome 2024, I’m crossing my fingers and saying to myself … take it easy!”

The anticipation for Rome 2024 is shared by the entire Italian team. “The European Championships in Rome, at home, at the Olimpico, are perhaps the most important appointment of the coming season. In that stadium there is a dream. We will aim and I will also aim with the relay to take as many gold medals as possible,” said Olympic champion Filippo Tortu, interviewed by Radio TV Serie A with Rds.

“Next year will be crucial because there are two major appointments, the European Championships in Rome and the Olympics in Paris,” stressed middle distance runner Nadia Battocletti, speaking at the opening of the Trento Sports Festival.

Roma 2024 stars at Metaverse Festival

“The Roma 2024 Metaverse will allow us to intercept a new target audience for athletics and engage the younger generation. Thanks to this project, everyone will be able to participate in the European Athletics Championships, transcending space-time limitations.” This was explained by Paolo Carito, managing director of the EuroRoma 2024 Foundation, during the presentation of the project developed together with XMetaReal ahead of the European Athletics Championships, to be held in Rome from June 7-12, 2024.

The new digital environment built especially for Roma 2024 was unveiled at the Centrale Nuvola Lavazza in Turin during the Metaverse Festival, organized by the National Association of Young Innovators, in collaboration with the European Parliament’s Italian Liaison Office.

“We are the only Italian sports event that has opened a space in the Metaverse,” stressed Paolo Carito, “and we should not talk about virtual reality because it is a real physical concept, which aims to overcome the limits of physicality itself. The Metaverse, in fact, will allow people from all over the world to experience the atmosphere of the European Athletics Championships at a distance and several months in advance of the start of the event.”

Project testimonial Larissa Iapichino has already inaugurated the Beta version of the Roma 2024 Metaverse with her avatar. Starting in the next few days on the Roma 2024 website, it will be possible to book to start exploring a preview of the digitally reproduced spaces of the Olympic and Foro Italico, accompanied remotely by animator-tutors who will guide people through the experience.

Roma 2024 also opens its doors to all those who wish to become active participants in the project, as animators. Task that will consist of guiding people in visiting the environments of the Metaverse. Applications can be submitted by emailing staff@roma2024.eu.

Roma 2024 Volunteers selections kick-off

Selections have officially begun for the volunteers who will take part in the “Roma 2024 Volunteers” program and participate in an operational role at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships.

The EuroRoma 2024 Foundation program, with support of HR supplier Humangest, has already collected around 1,500 applications so far, which will start to be screened for the final selection.

The Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships will be one of the most important international sporting events to be held in Italy in 2024 and represent a unique opportunity to bring together the global community of sports and athletics. The enthusiasm for the event is evidenced by the global participation in the “Roma 2024 Volunteers” program: more than 400 applications were sent from European countries outside Italy and around the world, with applications from all continents.

Applications are possible until 31 December. People wishing to take part in the “Roma 2024 Volunteers” program should fill in the form available at www.eventi.humangest.it/job-seekers.php.

Humangest’s team of recruiters will contact all candidates individually for interviews. The volunteers selected will receive several exclusive benefits: free entry to the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships’ competitions, access to specific training sessions organized by Humangest and EuroRoma 2024, an official uniform that will be assigned to each volunteer and participation in the closing party.

Following the selection phase, the volunteers have to take part in an initial general training course and then will be assigned to specific functional areas related to the organization of the event: Accreditation, Spectator Services, Competition, Protocol and Ceremonies, Media & Communication, Medical & Anti-Doping Area, Accommodation, Logistics, Transport, Venues, Hospitality, Sponsor Services, and Marketing. Part of the volunteers will take care of information and cultural & tourist services related to the European Athletics Championships at strategic points in Rome.

The requirements to participate: 

a) to be 18 years old by 6 June 2024, i.e. by the start date of Rome 2024 (or in any case to have reached the age of majority at the start of the volunteer experience, in the case of side activities);

b) be Italian citizens with knowledge of English or citizens of other nationalities with knowledge of English and Italian, basic level;

c) enjoy civil and political rights;

d) guarantee a minimum availability to participate in the event based on the dates of the official calendar and/or side events.

Larissa Iapichino inaugurates the Metaverse of Rome 2024

“Hello everyone, I am Larissa Iapichino and I welcome you to the Rome 2024 Metaverse.” The Italian long jump champion is the first athlete to enter the new digital world built ahead of the European Athletics Championships with her avatar. An immersive, interactive and immersive environment that will allow people around the world to preview the environments of Europeans recreated in the Metaverse and inspired by real places.

Thanks to the project developed by the EuroRoma 2024 Foundation, together with the company XMetaReal, it will be possible to explore in the digital world the spaces where the athletic competitions will be held from June 7 to 12, 2024. As Larissa Iapichino recounts in the demonstration video, using an avatar one will be able to move along the avenues of the Foro Italico Park and enter the Olympic Stadium. To explore the Rome 2024 Metaverse, which in this first phase will be activated in a Beta-Version pending the release of the final version, it will be enough to connect with the most common mobile and fixed devices, while those wearing Virtual Reality visors will have an even more immersive experience. 

All athletics fans and others will thus be able to start finding out in advance about the organization of the competition field, such as the location of the platforms for jumps and throws, moving from one place to another with the teleportation function. An innovative tool that will guide people in choosing the ideal sector of the Olympic Stadium to watch their favorite disciplines live. By getting into the stands and corners with your digital body, in fact, you will be able to purchase a ticket or season ticket for a specific seat directly from the Rome 2024 Metaverse.

Soon it will be possible to reserve to explore the Beta-Version of the Metaverse in advance. Larissa Iapichino will have an environment entirely dedicated to her, as will Rome 2024 partners who will be able to preview their Metaverse spaces without having to wait for the opening of the Commercial Village that will be set up outside the Olympic Stadium in June.

A new sports frontier pioneered in Italy for the first time at Rome 2024. “But this is just the beginning,” promises Larissa Iapichino, looking forward to meeting her fans in the Metaverse and challenging Europe’s best athletes on the Olympic Stadium long jump platform next year.

When Mennea and Simeoni conquered Rome

On September 2, 1974, the European Athletics Championships in Rome, the second edition held in Italy after Turin 1934 and the last one held in Italy, began. Through Sept. 8 at the Olympic Stadium, filled with thousands of spectators and sold out at the most significant moments of the competition, a total of 39 competitions (24 men’s and 15 women’s) were held, with 745 athletes representing 29 nations.

Great protagonist for Italy was Pietro Mennea, who won the gold medal in the 200 meters and the silver medal in the 100 meters, also being decisive for the second place of the Italian 4×100 relay team. In the women’s high jump it was Sara Simeoni who gave the home crowd great excitement, winning the bronze medal.

For the fourth consecutive edition it was East Germany that finished as the top nation in the medal table, with 10 golds and 27 medals overall. The three world records broken during Rome 1974 were all set by German athletes: Rosemarie Witschas in the high jump, Ruth Fuchs in the javelin throw and the women’s 4×100-meter relay.

Fifty years after the 1974 European Championships, Rome and the Olympic Stadium are preparing to host the Rome 2024 European Championships next summer to write another indelible page in the history of international athletics.

Roma 2024’s new promotions

With the beginning of September, the new Rome 2024 promotions on tickets and season tickets to watch all the competitions of the European Athletics Championships scheduled for June 7-12, 2024 at the Olympic Stadium start. The EuroRoma2024 Foundation has announced an important novelty dedicated to families: children up to 6 years of age will be able to enter the stadium for free*.

In addition, season tickets for three days of competitions are available from today. With the Starting Weekend package, it will be possible to enter the stadium in the morning and evening sessions scheduled from Friday, June 7 to Sunday, June 9, 2024, and follow all the early stages of the European Championships live: from the arrival inside the stadium of the women’s march on June 7, to the highly anticipated men’s 100-meter final on June 8, to the exciting arrival of the men’s and women’s marathon on the morning of June 10, at the end of a route that will touch all the most iconic places in the city.

Those who purchase the Ending Days season ticket, on the other hand, will be able to follow all the sessions scheduled at the Olympic Stadium from Monday, June 10, to Wednesday, June 12, which include the men’s 200-meter final on June 10, the men’s high jump on June 11, and a program with ten finals on the last evening of June 12, with the relay show.

In addition, the EuroRoma 2024 Foundation has activated a new promotion: those who purchase with a single transaction at least three evening session tickets or three season tickets (Starting Weekend, Ending Days or All-In) will get a 10 percent discount on all admission tickets.

* Information regarding stadium admission procedures and the collection of free tickets reserved for children up to 6 years of age will be published on the roma2024.eu website and on Vivaticket’s official channels dedicated to the event

** Technical assistance on the purchase of tickets and subscriptions is available on Vivaticket channels. For all other information, Roma 2024 customer care is available at customercare@roma2024.eu