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.
