European athletics will soon have a new president. The Swiss Hansjörg Wirz, in office since 1999, will leave the European Association (AEA) next April. It is reached by the age limit. To succeed him, three men are leading the campaign: the Frenchman Jean Gracia, current vice-president of the institution, the Finnish Antti Pihlakoski and the Norwegian Svein Arne Hansen. The first of them sent his candidate program to the national federations last weekend. He answered questions from FrancsJeux.
FrancsJeux: Why do you want to be president of the European Athletics Association?
Jean Gracia: Today I have a great deal of experience, having held various national or international positions for 23 years. I feel ready to share my ambition for athletics in Europe. They need it. During my campaign, I was able to meet the national federations, I rubbed shoulders with their leaders and I realized to what extent many of them were waiting for greater help from the AEA .
How did you run your campaign?
I decided to embark on this adventure after the Outdoor Worlds in Moscow in August 2013. Then I started my campaign in February 2014. Over the last twelve months, I have visited 49 of the 50 members of the AEA . A complete tour of Europe. I only miss San Marino. I got in touch with member countries, I was able to interact with the national federations, share my ideas, make myself better known. The experience was rich and interesting.
What state is European athletics in today?
We must distinguish between European athletics and the AEA, its institution. The latter is in good financial health. But she should not be asleep because her only resources come from television rights and marketing. It must strengthen its economic sector and its relations with the European Union, which can be a source of income because we have common subjects, including healthy sport, the fight against doping and the retraining of athletes. European athletics finds itself in a more contrasting situation. Two of its countries, Armenia and Moldova, do not have a stadium with a synthetic track, two others risk losing it, Albania and Andorra. In these times of crisis, many national federations are experiencing financial difficulties. They receive less support from governments.
What are the main axes of your campaign?
At the top of the pyramid, high competition athletics, we must think about ways to make it evolve to interest young people and become a fashionable sport again. Society is changing, our athletics must follow the change. It is also imperative to change our calendar, which is today far too difficult to understand, even for those in the know. I also find it very important to work for the progression of European athletics in sectors where it is weak compared to the world level, particularly in races.
What about the base of the pyramid?
Athletics must find a better place in schools. It’s fundamental. We also need to better integrate runners outside the stadium. They are athletes like any other. Finally, it is essential to work on healthy sport. By actively participating in national and European programs to combat obesity and diabetes, athletics can prove to be an inexpensive and effective medicine.
Are you proposing a change to the competitions?
Yes. Consideration is underway at the AEA to create selection events for the European Championships. Today, the system is built on a grid of minimums. I am in favor of the establishment of "trials" where the first two in each event would not only win their ticket to the European Championships, but could even in certain disciplines, sprinting in particular, gain direct access to the quarters or to the semi-finals. This reform could be put in place for the European championships in Berlin in 2018. Furthermore, I am thinking about the European road racing championships. Why not organize a specific one for the half-marathon where the elite and the masses would rub shoulders?
What inspires you about the European Games, the first edition of which is to be held in Baku in June 2015? Athletics will be present there, but with a low level of participation...
Indeed. When we met with the Association of European Olympic Committees to discuss the event, the AEA had already signed its contract with Eurovision. It was no longer possible to integrate a new competition into the calendar. But the door is not closed. We will follow these first European Games in Baku, then start discussions on how to integrate them into the season. But we will have to remain cautious about the evolution of the calendar.
How does the competition look for the election to the presidency of the AEA?
We are three candidates. All three of us have a lot of experience. LFinnish Antti Pihlakoski was president of his national federation. The Norwegian Svein Arne Hansen still is. But he is the oldest. At 68 years old, he can only be elected for a single term. Antti Pihlakoski and I are younger. We would not be affected by the age limit after a first mandate.
The campaign for the presidency of European athletics is taking place in parallel with that for the succession of Lamine Diack at the head of the IAAF. Will the two elections be linked?
Not for me. The AEA election will take place on April 11, 2015. Until that date, there is no question of mixing the two. Once the AEA election has passed, there will always be time to take a possible position for one or the other of the two IAAF candidates, Sebastian Coe and Sergei Bubka.
Jean Gracia's program is accessible here
