Medal ceremonies moved out of stadium at European Athletics Championships in Birmingham

The European Athletics Championships, which began this week in Birmingham, have introduced a noticeable change in how winners are celebrated. Traditional medal ceremonies with national anthems are no longer held inside the stadium. Instead, the top three finishers receive temporary medals and a golden crown immediately after the race and can take a victory lap around the track.

After leaving the stadium, athletes must return these temporary medals. The real engraved medals are presented later, either on the evening of the same day or the following day. The change was introduced by World Athletics to make award ceremonies more accessible to fans who do not have tickets to the competition.

The new format was already used at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. At this year's European Championships, the ceremonies take place in Perry Park, which is located next to Alexander Stadium. Medals are handed out twice a day, before and after the evening session: from 18:00 to 19:00 local time (20:00 to 21:00 Latvian time) and from 22:00 to 23:00 local time (00:00 to 01:00 at night Latvian time).

The updated approach gives athletes more direct contact with spectators. Some have used it to sign autographs and spend time with fans; in 2025, American shot putter Ryan Crouser did this.

In the history of the European Athletics Championships, Latvian athletes have won ten medals in total: four gold, three silver and three bronze. Before the 2026 championship, this placed Latvia 32nd in the all-time medal standings.