Certain European Athletics Championships include events out of the stadium: such as Marathon, Half Marathon and Race Walking. Some European Athletics Events consist only of out of stadium events; such as the European Cross Country Championships, European Athletics Off RoadRunning Championships and European Race Walking Team Championships. Sometimes, qualification rounds or finals of field events are also held outside the stadium.

The organisation of out of stadium competitions needs special attention and planning as tailor-made agreements need to be achieved in order to offer the best conditions to all competitors, spectators, TV, photographers, technical suppliers, sponsors etc.. 

When road events are part of a Championship that also includes in-stadium events, the out of stadium events need to be considered by the LOC as additional venues with the need of additional facilities, conditions and equipment. A dedicated LOC team should be responsible for these events, working in close collaboration with all other departments involved in the overall event as well as with the city or local authorities.

Among others, the following matters need to be tackled and organised:

  • Municipal permissions & traffic control
  • Warm-up area
  • Changing rooms & toilets
  • Medical services & physiotherapy
  • Barriers to define the competition circuits
  • Separate start/finish area (if not in the stadium)
  • Spectator and media tribunes (if not in the stadium)
  • Competition management & media offices
  • Video boards
  • Timing system & timing car
  • Refreshment, sponging & drinking areas
  • Mist area (shower-like structures releasing a fine spray of water from above)
  • Photographers’ vehicle 
  • TV and photographers’ platforms
  • Security personnel & municipal police escorts
  • Doping control facilities
  • etc.

Road Races & Race Walking Events

Even though the start and finish areas of Road Races (Marathon and Half Marathon) and Race Walking events can be in the stadium, the main part of the race is staged out of the stadium and European Athletics encourages the LOC to plan these in a central area of the city, including start and finish. By this means, the host city is even more involved in these spectacular events, and the spectators can enjoy a great experience by following the competition from very close to the athletes; who will benefit from a fantastic atmosphere. Such a location can also help to simplify the in-stadium timetable.

European Athletics expects the highest international standards for its events. These requirements are very specific and matters such as the likely weather, road surface quality, visibility, the radius of turning points and elevation all play important roles. The plans and proposals must be made in consultation with European Athletics Events & Competition Department, Technical Delegates,  the Host Broadcasters and Event Presentation to ensure that they satisfy all their requirements and expectations.

The measurements of all Road Race event circuits need to be certified according to the relevant World Athletics/AIMS procedures. A detailed description can be found on the AIMS website through this link.

Road events usually have an impact on the circulation of people and traffic within the city and a common effort is needed to reduce this impact as much as possible. To avoid problems and complaints, the LOC and the municipality should create a system to inform inhabitants and those affected.

Cross Country Events

The success of a Cross Country event often depends on the natural characteristics of the venue and the abilities of the course designer as much as the location of the venue. It can be staged in a park in the city centre, in a hippodrome or on any open land that is conveniently located near the city centre. Naturally, the course should be a challenging one and competitive for the athletes.

European Athletics has developed specific guidelines for Cross Country events based on the World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules. They can be found in the Appendices (European Athletics Cross Country Championships Technical Guidelines).

Mountain and Trail Running

There are many variations in conditions for Mountain and Trail Running and it is difficult to create a standardisation. The differences between the various disciplines and courses make each European Athletics Off Road Running Championship a unique experience.

European Athletics has developed specific guidelines for the events integrated to the programme of the EAORCH that can be found in the Appendices (European Athletics EAORCH Technical Guidelines).