Glasgow and Berlin are to co-host a new multi-sport competition called the European Sports Championships in 2018 that will combine continental championships in several sports, organisers announced on Thursday.
A press release estimated that around 2,900 athletes would compete in aquatics, cycling, rowing and triathlon in Glasgow, with further competitors taking part in athletics in Berlin.
The inaugural event in 2018 is to take place across 10 to 12 days with each European championship to be organised by the respective sports federation and the host city.
“This innovative new approach brings the existing European championships together in a sustainable format once every four years in order to continue building their prestige, profile and media exposure,” the European Athletics Association (EAA) said in a statement
Venues for the European Sports Championships include Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, constructed for last year’s Commonwealth Games, and Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, which will host the athletics.
The event is a new venture and different from The European Games, another multi-sport competition being held for the first time this summer in Baku, Azerbaijan
Glasgow had been considering making a bid for the second edition of the European Games in 2019 but have opted instead to join forces with the German capital to launch the new event.
European Olympic Committee (EOC) president Pat Hickey, seen as the driving force behind the European Games, said that he saw no threat to that event.
“As president of the EOC, I will always welcome events which support the development of European sport and help European athletes reach their full potential,” he said.
“But this event is a completely different initiative to the European Games, with fewer sports, fewer athletes and in a different year.”
Hansjörg Wirz, President of European Athletics, said: “We are excited to be organising our European championships in 2018 in Berlin in a coordinated way together with other leading sports in Glasgow. Our aim is to build further on the heritage, profile and awareness of our existing prestigious European Athletic Championships.”
Organisers said they also hoped to include a golf competition at Gleneagles, which hosted last year’s Ryder Cup.
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