Multisport European Championship paves thrilling path to Munich 2022

Individual sports calendars, broadcast rights and widespread reluctance to maintain the status quo were just three sticking points when Bristow and Jorg roamed the continent to pitch the left field case.

But 21 years after the idea was first promoted, and after battling a series of barriers, archaic attitudes and endless logistical challenges, the concept is alive and well, putting Munich on the summer sports map. ready to push into.

Glasgow and Berlin co-hosted the first edition of the competition four years ago. It’s the brainchild of Bristow and Yorck since they first hit it off at the turn of the 20th century.

Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Championship, Bristow brings over 30 years of international sports marketing expertise and has spearheaded strategies for 20 Champions League campaigns, 3 FIFA World Cups and 2 Olympic Games. I was.

And not long ago, in 2001, he decided to disrupt the established sporting order with a groundbreaking concept of a multisport event.

In theory, it makes perfect sense.

It combines several individual European Championships of the continent’s favorite sports into an 11-day jackpot organized in one central location.

It took Bristow and Jorg’s proposal 17 years to come to fruition, but following the success of Glasgow and Berlin in 2018, now it’s Munich’s turn to enjoy its place in the multisport sun.

Tokyo’s Olympic Park was deliberately chosen as the venue for this year’s event, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Olympics. Many of the same venues are taking center stage this summer as well.

The park’s iconic Olympic Stadium, former home of Bayern Munich, will host the much-anticipated athletics event on Monday.
Bristow said:

“What we tried to do was create an event where athletes and their sports had a profile and were more recognizable.

“Our vision was the opportunity to bring existing events together at the same time, in the same place and under one brand to significantly increase their profile.

“Aggregation works really well. We wanted to create a must-see event, a must-see event that elevates European champions.

“It wasn’t easy and it took a lot of patience and perseverance to get here.

“Hopefully, the halo effect is about athletes getting more recognition for their achievements, and we have the perfect arena here to do that.

“I can’t think of a more iconic venue in the world to host a multisport event than where we are today.

“We want to make sure this is an event that will last 100 years and continue to grow with each successive edition.

“In 1972, I was still a boy and the Olympics inspired me and my love of sport. I hope this summer will inspire the next generation.”

According to Bristow, the benefits of hosting a multisport event are many.

By ‘collapsing’ multiple low-profile sports into this summer’s masterpiece, notably sport climbing, beach volleyball, table tennis and canoe sprinting, we will elevate and expand the European champions and reach fans in wider regions around the world. You can appeal. Continent.

Casual viewers are far more likely to switch to watching wall-to-wall coverage of exciting multisport events like the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games than individual sport climbing or canoe sprint European championships. Become. It means reporting. Watching all these sports in one central location (the BBC in the UK) revolutionizes visibility and access.

Perhaps there’s no better example than sport climbing, which kicks off on Thursday with 12 British athletes competing.

Wolfgang Wabel, vice-president of the board of directors of the International Sport Climbing Federation, has seen the game change and is enjoying the potential for his sport to take center stage.

“This shows that we have grown and are recognized as a sport,” he said.

“We really like the concept of the multisport European Championships. It will improve your results.”

European Rowing Chair Annamarie Phelps added:

“We get people crossing over to watch rowing from different audiences. It really gives our athletes a unique stage to shine.”

Smaller sports aside, there is no doubt that the big names in the UK are interested in Munich.

Kicking off the first day of the European Championship!

Download the official Munich 2022 app on the App Store and Play Store for all schedules, news, tickets and more.#Munich 2022 #BackToTheRoofs pic.twitter.com/zBKceP1UXz

— European Championships (@Euro_Champs) August 11, 2022

The Olympic Stadium will serve as the clear epicenter of the championship and host some of the most high-profile events in athletics starting Monday.

Commonwealth 1,500m queen Laura Muir, world champion Jake Wightman (same distance) Dina Asher-Smith and Daryl Neta all compete in track events, but at the velodrome Jack Carlin leads British team Sprint Tilt on Thursday. stand on

Joe Fraser is a household name on the British gymnastics team alongside the very exciting Jake Jarman, 20, who won a staggering four gold medals in Birmingham. Meanwhile, Olympic her champion Charlotte her Worthington showcases her gravity-defying flicks and tricks at her BMX freestyle event.

Middle-distance star Keeley Hodgkinson, 400m ace Matt Hudson Smith and pole vaulter Holly Bradshaw will also join the star-studded, record-breaking first 115-man British Athletics team.
Speaking of records, expect some records to be broken over the next 11 days.

With 177 gold medals awarded in 11 days, the competition in sweltering and healthy Munich seems set to be red hot.
It’s taken us almost 20 years to get here, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

The multisport European Championship Munich 2022, featuring track and field, beach volleyball, canoe sprinting, cycling, gymnastics, table tennis, triathlon, rowing and sport climbing, marks the 50th anniversary of the Olympic Games in the German city on 11 August It will be held from the 21st to the 21st. Follow us online at bbc.co.uk/sport