Council to decide on 2012 European Athletic Championships hosts

The 124th European Athletics Council meeting starts tomorrow in Barcelona, with an announcement scheduled to be made on the host city for the 2012 European Athletics Championships.

With less than nine months before the Spanish city of Barcelona hosts the 2010 European Athletics Championships, the European Athletics Council will decide on which city will host the premier continental athletics event in 2012.

Helsinki, which hosted the championships in 1971 and 1994, is the frontrunner for the honour of organising the 21st edition.

The announcement is set for Monday afternoon after the Finnish Athletics Federation and the City of Helsinki present their candidacy for the 2012 European Athletics Championships.

The 2012 championships will be the first in the two-year cycle of the event.

The Council, led by European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz, will decide on a number of important issues over three days.

It is expected to approve the Barcelona 2010 competition timetable after adjustments made at the World Broadcaster Meeting last month as well as the Marathon and Race Walk circuits.

The Council will also decide on the host city for the 2011 European Cup Race Walking.

There will also be reports from recent meetings of the Competition and Development Committees and continued discussions on long-term planning and the one-day meeting system.