NEWS

2018: It will be big, it will be in Scotland !

By Paul Groves | 22 Feb, 2016

This year our biggest focus in terms of participation is going to be Lisbon, Portugal. Age group athletes will bulk up the start lists and with the triathlon celebrations combining sprint and standard races, the hotels will be full and the streets alive with athletes from all over Europe.

Next year the focus will move to Kitzbühel in Austria. Already a favourite for many, this venue will be the place to go to in 2017.

2018, yes, we can see that far ahead! Scotland saw the hottest race imaginable when the hugely successful Commonwealth Games were held there in 2014. Technical Officials from Sri-Lanka complained of sunburn, it was a non-wetsuit swim and the crowds were reminded regularly throughout the day to take on extra fluids. Was this a fluke of Scottish weather? Well, at the World Duathlon Championships a few years back similar conditions amazed the crowds. A fantastic host city, where the welcomes are always warm.

With a completely new look at the way that major sporting championships are held, 2018 will have a “must watch, must attend experience that will elevate the status of European Champions”. With the athletics being hosted in Berlin, the focus for other medals will move to Scotland and triathlon will be there. During the Commonwealth Games the viewing audience world-wide was immense. Being part of a programme of events it is anticipated that our sport will, in 2018 at these Championships, once again be viewed in millions of home, not only in Europe, but world-wide.

So – to tempt you with a bit more detail, here is the eagerly-awaited Press Release:

Media Release

February 22, 2016
Embargoed 11am CET

UNIFYING AND VIBRANT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS BRAND UNVEILED AHEAD OF INAUGURAL EVENT IN 2018

A unifying and vibrant brand has been launched by the participating sports to promote the new European Championships which will be staged for the first time in Glasgow and Berlin in 2018. The dynamic Mark of a Champion is the star-like logo representing the vision at the heart of the multi-sport championships brand – to create a must-attend, must-watch experience that elevates the status of European Champions.

The inspiring  shapes and colours of the logo - created in partnership by the sports, Host Cities Glasgow and Berlin and broadcast partner the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) - come together to represent the defining moments that create champions.

The logo was revealed today at an event in Glasgow attended by Great Britain swimmer Ross Murdoch. Ross spoke of his “golden moment” when he won Commonwealth Games gold in the pool in 2014 in Glasgow and said he couldn’t wait for the prospect of another chance to be a champion as part of a multi-sport event in front of a home crowd.

The multi-sport event in 2018 will bring together the existing European Championships of athletics, aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon, and also introduces a new golf team championship onto the European stage.

This new sporting partnership will create a strong event on the world stage every four years, attracting a projected television audience of around 1.03 billion and an even wider audience via multiple digital and radio platforms.

Around 1500 athletes will compete in Berlin through 7-12 August as part of the European Athletics Championships, while approximately 3025 athletes will visit Scotland for the other six events between 1 – 12 August.

As part of the brand development process, the name of the event has been shortened from the previous working title of ‘European Sports Championships’ to the ‘European Championships’.
Each sport will also unveil their own event logos in the coming months, inspired by the Mark of a Champion.

Ross Murdoch said: “Every athlete wants to compete at the highest level and that is exactly what the European Championships is all about. Multi-sport events bring out the best in athletes and also in the fans who love getting behind their nation. The moment I won gold at the Commonwealth Games will live with me forever.”

European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen, co-chair of the 2018 European Championships Board said: “The launch of this impressive brand is the starting gun for a European Championships concept that will help elevate the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships to a scale we have never seen before. In Berlin we have a fantastic host city for our Championships, and in the German athletics federation, we have a committed partner who have produced a great generation of athletes. We are all committed to delivering the best-ever European Athletics Championships.”

Fellow co-chair Paolo Barelli, President of the Ligue Européenne de Natation (European Aquatics), said: “This brand encapsulates everything we want to see in 2018 which will be an inspiring and ambitious event that showcases the prestigious history of the European championships of all our sports and provides us with a fresh and dynamic stage on which to elevate our champions.”

Jamie Hepburn, Scottish Government Minister for Sport, said: “I’m delighted that the Scottish Government has been able to support the 2018 European Championships. This is a totally new concept in European sport, so it’s tremendous that we can be at the forefront of that, welcoming all these world class athletes to Glasgow, and other venues across Scotland. We have a growing reputation when it comes to hosting major events like this, and I’m sure the people of Scotland will embrace these championships as only they can.”

Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “I am delighted that Glasgow’s vibrant personality shines through this new brand. We have worked together with these amazing sports to create something that reflects all of our values by embracing our ambition, our strength in unity and our ongoing journey to provide opportunities for all of our citizens through the power of sport and culture.”

Senator Frank Henkel, City of Berlin, said: “Berlin is very proud to be host of the 2018 European Athletics Championships. More than 1,500 athletes from 50 countries will be welcome to the famous Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Today we are really pleased to see the unveiling of the umbrella brand for the European Championships of which we are part. Our city is well underway in its preparations for the European Athletics Championships, and our own Berlin 2018 mark will be unveiled soon.”

Check out the website: www.europeanchampionships.com
Follow on Twitter: @glasgow2018 and @EuroAthletics

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

NOTES TO EDITORS:

ABOUT THE 2018 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS BRAND

  1. Our Vision: To create a must watch, must attend experience that elevates the status of European Champions
  2. Our Mission: By uniting existing European Championships we celebrate the highest honour in European sport
  3. Our Promise: We will celebrate the defining moments that create Champions
  4. Our Tagline: ‘The Moment’
  5. Our logo and wordmark: The Mark of a Champion is unique and ownable. The collection of shapes and colours brought together in a dynamic star-like form represent unity as the sports and host cities come together to create an inspiring event that is greater than the sum of its parts. An event that is ambitious, accessible, authentic and challenging. Using vibrant and dynamic shapes and colours it encapsulates the essence of the brand – the defining moments that create Champions. The logo represents ‘the moment’, the event tagline. The colours have been chosen for their vibrancy and their association to the sports and host cities. Aligning the Mark consistently at 30˚angles creates natural leading lines to the eye and achieves balance. The wordmark typeface has been hand crafted to encapsulate a competitive edge represented by the unique and ownable cuts in the lettering and the inclusion of the star-like shape. The initial working title, ‘European Sports Championships’, has been changed to the official name of the event, ‘European Championships’.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

  1. The 2018 European Championships will be staged by the European Federations and the Host Cities of Glasgow and Berlin.
  2. The Glasgow 2018 event will be held between 1st and 12th August and the European Athletics Championships will be between 7th and 12th August in Berlin.
  3. The European Broadcast Union (EBU), the umbrella body for Europe free-to-air channels, will be the broadcast partner for the Championships. The event is expected to generate a television audience of around 1.03 billion with many more viewers across multiple digital platforms.
  4. Around 3025 athletes will travel to Scotland as part of a total delegation of around 8500 including officials, media and others. A further 1500 athletes will compete in Berlin.
  5. Berlin’s Olympic Stadium will be the venue for the European Athletics Championships with the road races and race walking events held throughout the city.
  6. The European Aquatic Championships will take place at Glasgow’s Tollcross International Swimming Centre, with diving and synchronised swimming taking place at Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool and open water swimming being staged at Loch Lomond.
  7. Four European Cycling Championships will be staged in Glasgow. Track, Road, Mountain Bike and BMX will attract 650 of Europe’s top names to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, the Cathkin Braes Mountain Bike Trails, the streets of Glasgow and a new world championship and Olympic standard BMX track to be built in the Knightswood area of the city.
  8. The European Golf Team Championships will take place at the Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course.
  9. The European Artistic Gymnastics Men’s and Women’s Championships will be staged at The SSE Hydro, the venue for the 2015 FIG World Gymnastics Championships.
  10. The European Championships for both Rowing and Triathlon will both be staged at Strathclyde Country Park in North Lanarkshire.
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