GB stars hope for encore in Munich’s trailblazing European championships

A memorable summer of British sporting success is about to enjoy a spectacular final encore. Over the next 11 days in Munich, a significant number of Team GB stars will be among the 4,700 athletes competing for 177 European titles across nine sports – including athletics, cycling, gymnastics and triathlon – in what organisers say is the biggest multisport event in Germany since Munich staged the 1972 Olympics.

In track and field, Jake Wightman, Keely Hodgkinson and Jake Wightman will aim to complete a treble of major medals after success at the worlds and Commonwealth Games. In cycling, the Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock and BMX freestyle gold medallist Charlotte Worthington will lead the charge. While in gymnastics most of the British stars that lit up Birmingham last week, including Jake Jarman and Joe Fraser, bid for yet more success – starting on Saturday when the women could win their first ever European team gold.

Usually European Championships for different sports are staged in different places at different times of the year. However organisers believe that bringing them together for a major continental event in one city will lead to far greater media exposure – the event is being shown on mainstream TV across Europe, including the BBC – and save on costs.

In 2018 several events came together for the first time in Glasgow and Berlin. This time around, however, the action all takes place in Munich, either at the famous Olympic Park or in the centre of the city.

One of the brains behind the event, Paul Bristow, helped revamp the Champions League in the early days of the tournament. And while he has more modest ambitions for these European Championships, he believes it will become a significant addition