Leiria, (POR) to host first ever SPAR European Team Championships
European Athletics is pleased to announce that the Portuguese city of Leiria has been chosen to host the first ever SPAR European Team Championships in 2009.
The Estadio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa stadium in Leiria, which previously hosted the second divisions of the European Cup in 2005 & 2008 was fully renovated for the EURO 2004 UEFA Nations Championships.
However, at the time, and subsequently true to their word, the city authorities wanted to leave a legacy for both football and athletics and they have now being rewarded with the Super League in the first edition of the new SPAR European Team Championships.
Speaking about his country's selection to host this inaugural event, a delighted Laurentino Dias, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport,
"Leiria is a great athletics city and the Estadio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa stadium will be the focal point for the whole of Europe on the third weekend of June next year. It is a great honour for Portugal to be awarded the first ever edition of the European Team Championships and we are confident it will be a big success."
"Portuguese athletics is on a real high at the moment and we are very fortunate to have athletes of the calibre of World & Olympic Triple Jump Champion Nelson Evora, double European Sprints Champion Francis Obikwelu, and double European Long Jump Champion Naide Gomes. They are big stars in Portugal and I am sure the Portuguese public will come out in droves to support them on home soil in this prestigious competition."
European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz said,
"As part of the competition restructure our organisation is undertaking, the Team Championships is a crucial initiative for us and I believe the expansion of the number of teams to 12 will provide significantly more excitement and drama to our audiences"
"Along with this, the expansion has also allowed us to bring the event to a wider selection of venues and I am delighted to be making history by awarding the event to Leiria which has a great tradition in organising major athletics events."
"The Estadio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa has a capacity of 29,900 seats and I am confident the organisers and the inhabitants will ensure it is full over the two days and ensure a great atmosphere for the first edition of this new and exciting event."
The venues for the other leagues will be announced in October.
The divisions for the 2009 European Team Championships, which will take place on the weekend of June 20-21, 2009, are as follows:
Super League:
Russia, Great Britain, Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Ukraine, Greece, Sweden, Czech Republic, Portugal
