GATESHEAD will host the 2013 European Team Championships.
Tyneside’s International Stadium saw off Braunschweig, Bydgoszcz and Ostrava to host European athletics’ flagship team event for the first time after staging its predecessor, the SPAR European Cup, in 1989 and 2000.
The European Athletics Council announced the decision this afternoon after UK Athletics and the City of Gateshead presented their candidacy to host the fourth edition of the Super League.
European Athletics president Hansjorg Wirz said: “We are very pleased to confirm Gateshead will be the hosts of the European Team Championships Super League in 2013.
“Athletics has a huge following in Great Britain and we have been assured today that we can look forward to an excellent event.”
UKA chief executive Niels de Vos said: “It will be the first major athletics event in Great Britain after the 2012 London Olympics and I am sure the event will develop, promote and foster athletics in Europe, and further raise the profile of the sport on the continent.”
Gateshead Council’s Linda Green said: “It’s another coup for Gateshead. We’re delighted to host the event and look forward to welcoming European Athletics back to a newly-developed stadium that we aim to fill with athletics fans, who will have the London Olympics fresh in their memories.”
