Welcome Message from the President of
European Athletics

I am very pleased to welcome everyone to the fourth edition of the European Athletics U18 Championships, and to a city which really embraces the concept of Your Sport for Life.

Banská Bystrica was the 2017 European City of Sport, two years ago it staged the European Youth Olympic Festival. Recent research has suggested that about 77% of the population take part in some form of physical activity while almost 30% participate in competitive sport.

The city and its inhabitants should be proud of these numbers and European Athletics is proud to be coming to a city that has sport at the centre of its cultural and social fabric.

In addition, there is the annual Banská Bystrica latka indoor high jump meeting which is one of the world’s top specialist indoor competitions and this sell-out spectacular brings together every year the world’s best exponents in this event.

As a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting, this is a very important part of the European Athletics calendar and one which we have assisted for several years by providing a live stream and additional social media coverage that has helped it garner attention around the world.

We are supporting these European Athletics U18 Championships in a similar way – in line with the European Athletics Strategic Roadmap pillar of ‘Digitalisation and Innovation’ – so that these championships have an unprecedented continental and global footprint.

This will be the first time that the Slovak Republic will organize a major European Athletics event on the track. However, having organised the 2017 SPAR European Cross Country Championships, the European Race Walking Teams Championships on several occasions and the European Throwing Cup in the recent past, in addition to the athletics competition at the 2022 European Youth Olympic Festival, European Athletics has every confidence that this will be an outstanding championships.

The championships themselves will provide four days of thrilling competition that showcases the very best European athletics talent in this age group,

It is also an alluring look into the crystal ball of our sport.

Winners and medallists from the first two championships in 2016 and 2018 have graduated to become some of the superstars of our sport and I am sure, in time, that many will also do so from this edition.

With that in mind, I would like to wish everyone an enjoyable and memorable four days of competition in this beautiful and historic city.

I would like to finish by offering a heartfelt thank you on behalf of European Athletics to the Slovak athletics federation – Slovenský atletický zväz –the Banská Bystrica 2024 Local Organising Committee, the city of Banská Bystrica and its Council, all the other host institutions, and partners as well as the officials and volunteers.

Dobromir Karamarinov

European Athletics President

Welcome Message from the President of Slovak Athletic Federation and President of the LOC

Dear athletic and sports fans,

the organization of the European Athletics U18 Championships is the fulfillment of our long-term goal. It is a part of the strategy
for the development of athletics, where we are dedicated to the membership growth on a long time base, improvement of the results of our national teams, expanding of athletic infrastructure and organization of important events.

When organizing important events, we went step by step. We organized the European Race Walking Teams Championships threetimes, in 2016 we renewed the legendary meeting P-T-S, then, in 2017, we organized the European Cross Country Championships, in 2019 European Throwing Cup, in 2022 we organized the athletic part of the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), until we worked our way up to the first major European Championships on the track in Slovakia.

We also managed to do it thanks to the reconstruction of the National Athletics Stadium in Banská Bystrica, with the support from the newly created Tourism and Sport Ministry, the Sports Support Fund (FNPŠ), Travel Slovakia, the city of Banská Bystrica and Military Sports Centre Dukla (VŠC).

Banská Bystrica is a city of athletics – there is no doubt about that. Already for threedecades, the popular “Banskobystrická
latka” has been organized here every year, it hosted the European Cup (2002), respectively European Team Championship (2009 and 2013) in the past, EYOF and since last year, a P-T-S meeting has been held in Štiavničky in an excellent atmosphere.

I believe that we will enjoy the event in the heart of Slovakia together. For many athletes it will be the first opportunity to experience a European competition. To allparticipants of the 4th European Athletics U18 Championships I wish to take away the most beautiful experiences and personal bests.

I‘m convinced, that you will feel good with us. Welcome to Slovakia, welcome to Banská Bystrica!

Peter Korčok

President

Slovak Athletic Federation and LOC

Welcome Message from the Mayor of Banská Bystrica

Ladies and gentlemen, dear athletes, guests, partners, referees, volunteers, sports fans and supporters!
We are a small country in the heart of Europe, and Banská Bystrica is, in comparison with world metropolises, a small town in the heart of Slovakia. More than once however, we have already convinced ourselves that despite this, we can do great things. In 2017, we became the European City of Sport. Two years ago, we hosted the largest youth multi-sport event of transnational dimensions, the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF).

We are constantly trying to improve the existing one and build new sports infrastructure. It shows, for example, the reconstruction of the National Athletic Stadium of the Military Sports Centre Dukla (VŠC) in Štiavničky, which meets all standards and has a certificate from World Athletics to organize events of international importance. One of the advantages of Banská Bystrica is its geographical location, which predestines it to be an ideal place for various types of summer and winter sports. I am extremely proud that the city under Urpín will be the venue of the prestigious sports event of international scope for the second time.

I am convinced that the 4th European Athletics U18 Championships will bea wonderful celebration of sport, friendship and unity. We will fulfill one of our sporting dreams. Banská Bystrica – the city of sports and Olympic champions – warmly welcomes all of you . Feel at home with us!

Ján Nosko

Mayor of Banska Bystrica