2021 European Athletics Team Championships
The 2021 European Athletics Team Championships took place in four cities on two sets of dates. The Super League was held in Chorzów, Poland on 29–30 May. The First League was in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and the Second League in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria on 19–20 June. The Third League was in Limassol, Cyprus. A total of 40 events were contested across the four leagues, with medals awarded to teams (not individuals).
New format and venues
- In 2021 a new grouping system was introduced. The aim was to have 8 teams in the Super League (plus the host country if not already qualified), 12 teams in the First and Second Leagues, and the remaining teams in the Third League.
- Minsk, Belarus was replaced by Chorzów as the Super League host due to political reasons in Belarus.
- The 2021 Super League featured 8 teams instead of 12 in previous editions.
Participation and withdrawals
- Ukraine withdrew on 24 May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was relegated in 2023.
- About 7,600 spectators attended the event, and entry was free.
- 406 athletes (206 men, 200 women) from 7 countries competed (8 were scheduled to participate). 54 athletes from Ukraine did not enter.
- Several potential winners entered, but some withdrew late.
Final moments and outcome
- Going into the last event, the Men’s 4x400 m relay, three teams could win: Poland led with 176.5 points, followed by Great Britain (174) and Italy (172).
- Italy led the final race early, but a baton handover issue for Great Britain helped Poland surge. Poland finished strongly, moving up and ultimately winning the overall title, even though Italy won the last race and set the European lead time.
- In this competition, medals refer to teams, with gold, silver, and bronze going to the top three teams.
Promotion and relegation
- The top two teams from the First League in 2021 were promoted to the Super League for 2023. The bottom three teams of the First League were relegated to the Second League for 2023 (Ireland was included as a penalty for withdrawal).
- The top three teams of the Second League in 2021 were promoted to the First League for 2023.
- The bottom three teams of the Second League in 2021 (Russia, Austria, and Israel) did not participate and were automatically relegated to the Third League for 2023. Austria and Israel withdrew due to COVID-19, and Russia was banned from international competition at the time entries closed.
- There were three promotion spots for 2023.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:29 (CET).