The Estonian Athletics Association has received a special permit from the Government of Estonia to host the European Athletics U20 Championships at the Kadriorg Stadium on 15-18 July. An application to also bring the U23 European Championships to Tallinn was submitted this week and the government will process it as soon as possible.
These events are important in the field of international athletics, which cannot be organized at a high level without special permission, considering the current COVID-19 restrictions. The U20 competition brings about 1,500 participants and people related to the organization to Estonia from 48 European countries. Almost 40 young athletes from Estonia will participate in the U20 European Championships.
“International competitions are especially important for junior athletes. Major competitions reignite the passion of young people who have been training in restrictive conditions for a long time and help to maintain their motivation to do top-level sports. The opportunity to locally host such high-level competitions is rare,” said the president of Estonian Athletics Association, Erich Teigamägi.
According to Teigamägi, the pre-registration of participants for the U20 competition has taken place and the interest has exceeded the expectations. “10 percent more athletes have registered to the event than is usual for this age group. This shows the importance of competition opportunities for young athletes across Europe. Many competitions have been on hold for a long time or have been canceled overall, which is why we wish to thank the Estonian government for the permission to bring the title competitions to the local stadium in these difficult times,” he said.
The president of Estonian Athletics Association emphasized that all established rules will be followed during the competition and the organizers are going to cooperate closely with the Health Board. “The European Athletics Association has established strict rules of procedure and codes of conduct that we will follow when organizing and conducting the events. In addition, the Estonian Athletics Association together with the European lead organization, is developing the COVID-19 hygiene and sanitation protocol for the safe organization of the competitions. We have also formed a medical working group consisting of international experts at the organizing committee,” said Teigamägi.
The competition can be followed via live TV broadcast provided by European Athletics and the Estonian Public Broadcasting. Admission of spectators to the stadium will depend on the national restrictions in force at the time of the competition and the judgement of the Health Board. The organizers will give notice about any spectator opportunities through public channels as soon as possible.
The official international partners of the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn are Spar and Le Gruyère, the broadcasting partner is Eurovision and the official cooperation partner is Mondo. The supporters of the competition are Audi, Cramo, Kalev, NIKE, Postimees, Tradehouse, Utilitas and Värska Vesi. The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the City of Tallinn.