Having been principal sponsor of European Athletics since 1996, SPAR as a brand strongly supports athletes of all ages, with local community initiatives promoting healthier lifestyles at grassroots level right through to the highest level of competition with this international involvement.
All athletes who have competed since the annual Championships were added to the calendar in 1994 have been cheered on by SPAR partners. With a presence in 48 countries around the world, SPAR is a global promoter of healthy lifestyles, with sponsorship of diverse sports a key element of this focus.
Portugal will become just the third country to have held the event on three separate occasions after Great Britain (Alnwick 1994 and 1995, Edinburgh 2003) and Italy (Ferrara 1998, San Giorgio su Legnano 2006 and Chia 2016). Portugal held the event for the first time in Oeiras in 1997 before Albufeira was handed the baton in 2010 and on both occasions the host country came away with gold medals. With 19 gold medals, Portugal is the fifth most successful nation at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in terms of titles won behind Great Britain France, Spain and Turkey.
Norway topped the medal table at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg last December, thanks to a significant contribution from the Ingebrigtsen brothers. Jakob became the first junior to win three successive U20 titles and led Norway to the U20 team title before Filip, who came away from the European Championships empty-handed due to injury, ended his campaign on a high with a masterful display on a rutted course in the senior men’s race.
Source : European Athletics
