European Championships | 12 Jan 2021

European Team Championships Stage 1 matches update from the Executive Board

The Executive Board under the leadership of President Igor LEVITIN has considered the impact of the unstable Covid-19 situation across Europe on the planning of the European Team Championships Stage 1 groups and has received feedback from many member Associations in recent days. Associations have mentioned the travel restrictions, the lockdown restrictions and the difficulty to organise sufficient practice in advance of matches.

The Executive Board has agreed the following:

* to postpone C groups, due to be played on 23rd and 24th January, to a later date in April or May;

* to postpone B groups to a later date, possibly in late May;

* to cancel the A groups;

* subject to Congress approval to qualify the best 12 A group teams (according to the 2019 European Team Championships results) to the Final Stage at Cluj Napoca;

* to permit the remaining 6 A group teams to play in Stage 2;

* to play the Stage 2 matches after the Tokyo Olympic Games in August or September.

The Executive Board believes the above plan will ensure the integrity of the competition is retained and that 24 men's teams and 24 women's teams will be welcomed to the Final Stage at Cluj Napoca in September.

The ETTU Secretariat will work with Associations in the coming weeks to ensure suitable dates and hosts are found for the C groups, B groups and Stage 2 matches.

An update and report will be provided to the Extraordinary Congress meeting on Saturday 13th February 2021.