Team Europe in action at the IAAF Continental Cup Ostrava 2018, by Getty Images/ European Athletics
The website for The Match Europe v USA Minsk 2019 is now live and in addition to news about this historic contest, which will be staged in the Belarus capital on 9-10 September, there is also the opportunity to purchase to tickets and find out more about the host city itself.
The website (http://europe-usa.com/) can be found here and also contains links to Instagram and Facebook accounts for the event, which will be updated regularly.
The recently renovated 22,000-seater Dinamo National Olympic Stadium will be the venue for this innovative head-to-head competition, which will see many of the world’s best athletes in action at the last major meeting before the IAAF World Championships Doha 2019.
Dinamo National Olympic Stadium in Minsk
Dinamo National Olympic Stadium in Minsk after the 2018 renovations
The brainchild of European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen, The Match harks back to the famous dual international matches of the 1960s and 70s and is aiming at establishing a regular Europe v USA rivalry, like those in golf which has the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, which transcend just the sport’s own aficionados and where every top performer in the sport is desperate to be selected and a member of the winning team.
“Team competition always brings out the best in athletes and fans love to see stars in peak condition fighting to lift the cup at the end of the day,” said Hansen. “I am sure The Match will give the 2019 season an extra dimension of interest and it could well turn into a regular feature on the international calendar.”
The Match organisers are expecting a capacity crowd over the two days of competition and local ticket sales have already been strong but if you can’t be there in person then a television rights agreement has been signed with the European Athletics’ International Partner the European Broadcasting Union, which will broadcast The Match around Europe and beyond.
