AMSTERDAM: The group of top European One-Day Meetings called Euromeetings had a succesfull General Assembly during the European Athletics Convention last weekend in Amsterdam. In great attendance (only 5 out of 53 meeting members were missing) they discussed mainly the views for future.

The IAAF plans to restructure the one-day meets scene from 2010 were presentedy by Luis Carulla (IAAF Marketing Director) and Neill Duffy of Mindspring Agency who are on IAAF behalf working on the project. Meeting representatives were urged to give their feedback to the proposed changes. Also European Athletics plans to restructure their permitted events (Premium and Classic meetings) which also affects the Euromeetings members.

EA will build a working group for the changes to which Euromeetings are entitled to nominate two members. President Rajne Soderberg in his reports stated that 2008 was an excellent year for the sport and the meetings too. Problems mentioned were in connection with athletes participation and national federations not allowing them to be at certain meetings in certain period of the season. Calendar clashes are always a issue.

Euromeetings is also continuing in its strong standpoint against doping. The members were congratulated as in more than 95% of cases the meetings were following the recommendation not to accept athletes with a passed doping offence. This will continue also in the coming season 2009. As new members were accepted the traditional IAAF Combined Events meet Decastar of Talence, France and indoor meeting in Dusseldorf, Germany. After one year also the outdoor meeting in Linz, Austria is returning, but with new organisation.

The next Spring Meeting of the organisation will be held in Lausanne on April 18, 2009 in connection with European Athletics Congress.

EuroMeetings Press Release: MALTA, Oct 11 – Euromeetings are continuing in tough anti-doping measures and urged the member meetings not to invite athletes who could harm the events with their doping offences from the past. As already said in March at Spring Meeting in Birmingham also now at the General Assembly during European Calendar Conference in Malta athletes who could cause negative publicity should not be invited to take part.

After receiving information from IOC, IAAF and USADA the European meetings will closely follow the case of Marion Jones which has made the headlines in recent days. “We will wait on the outcome of the investigation of the respective bodies and then we will consider any action,” said Euromeetings president Rajne Soderberg in connection to possible demand to get back from Jones monies paid to her by the meetings in the past.

Euromeetings discussed calendars for 2008 and 2009 with next year being a tough one for the meetings with UEFA European Championships in football and Olympic Games in Beijing. European Athletics president Hansjorg Wirz presented views into the future of competition structure with possibilities to restructure the categorizations and levels of one day meetings.

New member elected was the meeting of Bydgoszcz, Poland as a first ever member from this country in the history of the organization.

Euromeetings is the group of organizers of European athletics meetings. Currently there are 40 members with 51 meetings. All IAAF Golden League and Grand Prix Meetings are the members; most of the European Athletics Permit Meetings are also members.

Birmingham, March 1 – Leading European Meetings are supporting tougher anti-doping measures. At today´s Spring Meeting of top european one-day events in Birmingham the members urged IAAF to increase the ban for serious doping offence from 2 to 4 years.

They also supported the latest EAA initiative against doping cheaters. Meeting directors agreed not to invite athletes to their events who they think will cause negative publicity to their event and to our sport. A past doping offence could be one such reason. President of Euromeetings Rajne Soderberg (Meeting Director of Stockholm´s DN Galan): „We need to support all the latest initiatives of the governing bodies. We know how harmful doping issues could be in relation to our sponsors or spectators. There is no other way, just to continue to fight. We can of course only urge our members to follow the strategy, on the other hand we must respect their individual decisions.“

Euromeetings also approved a new Constitution which is taking into account the latest changes and challenges in the sport. The members discussed also prize money and athletes contracts issues and calendar for 2008.

Elections of the board have been completed by additional two members – Gerard Fremaux (France) and Alfons Juck (Slovakia).

Euromeetings is the group of organisers of European athletics meetings. Currently there are 39 members with 50 meetings. All IAAF Golden League and Grand Prix Meetings are the members, most of the EAA Permit Meetings are members too.

VARNA, BULGARIA – Stockholm DN-Galan meeting director Rajne Soderberg is a new president of Euromeetings, an organisation comprising of all most important one-day meetings in Europe. He replaced Oslo meeting director Svein-Arne Hansen who stepped down after eight years in the post. He is only the third president of the organisation which was established back in 1979. Before Hansen the president was former Weltklasse of Zurich boss Andreas Brugger. The elections were held at the General Assembly of the Euromeetings during the traditional autumn European Calendar Conference in Varna, Bulgaria. „I want the Euromeetings to become more stronger and active in the promotion and cooperation between the members and also towards international federations like IAAF or EAA and for example manager groups. Another objective is to support all steps in the fight against doping. I am sure all the meetings are backing the plans to increase the ban for doping violations to four years term,“ said Soderberg. Other concern of the european meetings organisers is the lack of television coverage in general.

The assembly also revised the constitution of the organisation which is now more clear concerning the goals and activities of the organisation and its membership structure.

Two new members were accepted – Artur Takač Memorial in Beograd, Serbia and Athletics Bridge double meeting in Slovakia (Banska Bystrica and Dubnica). Currently the organisation comprises of 46 meetings all over the Europe, ranging from Golden League through Grand Prix into EAA or national permit meetings added by specialist meetings in multi-events or jumping.

New board elected:

• President: Rajne Soderberg, Stockholm
• Vice-president: Wilfried Meert, Brussels
• General Secretary: Jacky Delapierre, Lausanne
• Treasurer: Fedde Zwanenburg, Hengelo
• Members: Ian Stewart, London, Jean-Pierre Schoebel, Monte Carlo

Other two members will be elected at the spring meeting of the Euromeetings held during the European Indoor Championships in March 2007 in Birmingham.

1. Welcome by the President
2. Roll call of those present
3. Minutes of Spring Meeting in Madrid
4. Report by the Board of Euro Meetings
5. Report by the treasurer
6. Report by the auditor
7. Calendar 2006/7
8. New Euro Meetings structure
9. Applications/ Resignations
10. Any other business
11. Date of Spring meeting 2006