32nd Annual EAP Convention under the sign of the development with quality

During the 32nd annual Convention of the organizers of the international meetings of the European Athletics Promotion circuit, gathered in Celle Ligure (I), on November 4, 5 and 6, 2022, various topics were discussed.

In his opening speech, President Pablo Cassina reminded the visionary and pioneering path with his co-founders of the circuit (Noël Levêque, Giorgio Ferrando), based on this idea as simple as it is powerful which always proves to be still relevant. The promotional values ​​and principles represent the unifying concept and, therefore, are the treasure of the movement:

Allowing our athletes to participate in an international meeting, being part of a circuit that we wanted to own, is our most precious asset, a right that we claim and that we must defend. (...) Today, except for the very best athletes in the world, the others, and in large part those who attend our meetings, no longer qualify thanks to their performance, but thanks to the ranking system.
Yes, and so what ?
So this has a direct impact because the ranking is now obtained exclusively in labeled meetings, those that World Athletics defines as such. These meetings are worth a certain number of points, depending on their level (DL, World Continental Tour Gold, Silver, Bronze and Challenger meetings). Apart from that, few points are awarded and needless to say that athletes of a certain level can no longer afford to come and run a 10"30 which would not earn them enough points to be part of the  …, of the ranking.

Rankings are based on the Ranking Scores. Athletes are ranked in the Event and Overall Rankings by their Ranking Scores. The Ranking Score is the average of Performance Scores. In order to be ranked, athletes must collect a sufficient number of Performance Scores and some of them must come from Main Events.

Result Score + Placing Score = Performance Score

Extract from art. 1.2.6 Ranking Scores from World athletics:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. The Rankings are based on the Ranking Scores. Athletes are ranked in the Event and Overall Rankings by their Ranking Scores.
            2. The Ranking Score is the average of Performance Scores.
            3. In order to be ranked, athletes must collect a sufficient number of Performance Scores and some of them must come from Main Events. Athletes who do not collect enough performances, cannot have a valid Ranking Score, and are thus ineligible for ranking. See details for each Event Group in the corresponding section.

With the exception of three of our meetings which in 2023 will be labeled (Loughborough and Celle Ligure will be "Challenger", therefore category D and Geneva will be "Bronze", therefore category C), all the others will have to content themselves with a secondary role, sadly marginal because penalizing both for the athletes and frustrating for us organizers.

EAP's best meetings should be directly eligible and recognized as "D category"

Pablo Cassina, insisted on the fact that most of our best meetings should be eligible and recognized as "D category (like Challenger meetings for example). We have the structure, the tools, the experience, the know-how, a complete regulation (even more demanding than the criteria for category "D" !) to claim this recognition. Our best meetings should be supported by their federations in order to be proposed to World Athletics and European Athletics as eligible "D" Challenger meetings. The EAP remains at their disposal to help them in this process.

Deeper info:  read the World Athletics "Basics of the rankings"

France is back to the EAP: welcome to Romans and Annecy !

The EAP is growing and in 2023, it will be France back into the circuit with two new meetings.

The EAP welcomes Romans-sur-Isère (Tue 27 June) presented by Nicolas Doumeng and Annecy (Sun. 11 June), presented by Léo Nocaudie.

Warm applause for the return of two French meetings !

17 EAP meetings in 12 countries in 2023

*) Nivelles and Biella will not be able to organize their event due to the reconstruction of their tracks and stadium. They will be back with brand new track and infrastructure in 2024 !

EAP welcomes its new treasurer

Marco Colavitti, from Codroipo (ITA) is the new EAP treasurer.

Other decisions

1. The introduction of a virtual EAP members' Convention, in March 2023, mainly to end the indoor season and to prepare for the summer one
2. Update our associations' statutes
3. Update the scheme for the internal participations standards for EAP athletes both for outdoor and indoor
4. Integrate new clauses relating to abuses in our Code of Conduct
5. Conceive a traveling photographic exhibition of "emotional photos" that trace and represent each of our meetings.

Conclusions

The 2022 annual Convention showed a great interest from the members and the will to still improve. There is a common request for official recognition. Some meetings are very well organized and structured but are not rewarded by the right category and for this, many athletes are forced to give up participating. The EAP circuit wants to continue to present itself as a clean and responsible circuit, as well as sustainable. Clear and exhaustive regulations will help our meetings to grow and continuously raise the level of organizational quality thanks to the QMP program.

Pablo Cassina
EAP president

president@eap-circuit.org

Click here to read the full President's opening speech  (also available in French version)