History

La primera edició del Campionat d'Europa d'atletisme es va celebrar a l'Estadi Comunale de Torí.

The only time that the European Championships were celebrated in two different stadiums was in 1938, with Europe undergoing social and political upheaval during the years before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Although the situation in Europe had still not yet stabilised, the European Athletics Association managed to unite 353 athletes in a Championship that was unforgettable for many reasons.

Now with a bigger format and five competition days, the European Championships came of age at Heysel Stadium in the Belgian capital.

The Swiss city of Berne became part of the list of Championship venues after a big effort, because the tournament had at that time reached a great level of popularity in its 20th anniversary.

Once again, athletics returned to an Olympic setting, the one that hosted the events for this sport during the 1912 Games: Stockholm’s Olympic Stadium.

The seventh edition of the European Championships represented something new and great: Belgrade.

Once again, the Championships took place in Eastern Europe, landing in Hungary’s magnificent Nepstadion, a building that retained the stunning features of pre-War sports architecture.

The Championships were definitively consolidated in 1969, the same year that the Olympic Games were held in Mexico.

The Helsinki European Championships, once again held in an Olympic stadium, marked the first major presence of a Spanish team in the competition, with 16 athletes participating and, for the first time in its history, three of these athletes were women.

The main new technical element of these Championships was the general acceptance of electronic timekeeping.

It took many years, but finally Spanish athletics was rewarded and managed to step onto the winners’ podium.

The English athlete Daley Thompson, who was at his physical peak and was one of the greatest athletes of all time, gave a virtuoso performance in Athens, which once again hosted the European Championships only 13 years later.

The city of Stuttgart’s Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, which would be the setting for the 4th IAAF World Athletics Championships in a few years time, hosted this new edition of the European Championships.

Europe was changing but, during that summer of 1990, the Eastern European athletes were not going to give up so easily in the athletics stadiums.

The date 14th August 1994 has been printed in gold letters in the history not only of Spanish athletics but also Spanish sport in general.

After years of Russo-German domination, it was time for the British team in the Budapest Championships, held in the increasingly rundown Nepstadion.

The Spanish team’s performance in Munich’s Olympic Stadium, third in the general medal count with 15 medals, was the main news of this spectacular edition for many reasons.

The Ulevi Stadium was the venue for the 19th European Championships held in 2006.