The town of Annecy once again welcomes a major event from the International Athletics Calendar, this time the SPAR European Cup 2002.
After the very successful organisation of the 1998 World Junior Championships, the whole of Annecy’s team with the Mayor Mr Bosson are fully aware of how to rise to this new challenge in accepting to welcome Europe’s best athletics teams for this SPAR European Cup.

Bernard Amsalem
President of French Federation

The French team will of course be present and will have the desire to do well in this competition in the way it did last year in Bremen, achieving its best result since the creation of this competition, with the men finishing 2nd and the women 3rd.
This year the goal will be to finish in the first two places, qualifying automatically for the World Cup in Madrid, because the French team has never succeeded in qualifying.
This meeting in Annecy therefore marks the start of a campaign of progression and success aimed at the European Championships in Munich,

but also looking to the World Championships in Paris in 2003 and the Olympic Games in Athens, 2004.

I am convinced that the town and organising committee of Annecy have done their utmost to ensure that this SPAR European Cup will be a successful event and that the athletes will receive the best welcome, stay and competition.

Thank you, Mr Mayor; a competent and dynamic team surrounds you.
Thanks to you all, the French Athletic Federation and the European Athletic Association will find ideal organisational conditions at the SPAR European Cup.