2023 European Athletics U20 Championships

Romania had originally been scheduled to host the 2023 championships, but concerns about the size of its stadium led European Athletics to approach Israel as an alternative host.[3] Israeli Athletics Association president Ami Baran recalled receiving a late-night telephone call from the head of European Athletics asking whether Israel could stage the U20 tournament.[3] Baran contacted Jerusalem’s deputy mayor responsible for sports, who consulted the mayor, and the city agreed to host.[3]

Jerusalem had hosted the European Athletics U18 Championship in 2022, in connection with which the city government invested 50 million shekels, approximately $13.5 million, in renovations at Givat Ram Stadium.[3] The city and Israel’s Ministry of Sport and Culture helped finance the 2023 competition, including accommodation for visitors, media production teams and announcers.[3]

Before the championships, more than 1,000 athletes were expected to compete, with Israel represented by an 11-athlete delegation.[1] In the week before the event, Baran said that 3,500 tickets had already been sold.[3] Jerusalem mayor Moshe Lion presented the tournament as a continuation of the city’s hosting of the European U18 championships the previous year.[1]

The four-day championships took place at Givat Ram Stadium from August 7 to 10, with competitors from 48 countries participating across 44 track-and-field events.[1][2] The men’s long-jump final produced a one-centimetre winning margin: Italy’s Mattia Furlani took gold with 8.23 metres, ahead of Bulgaria’s Bozhidar Saraboyukov, whose 8.22 metres established a Bulgarian junior record.[4] Ukraine’s Nikita Masilauk won bronze with 7.97 metres.[4]

Israeli long jumper Elad Adika, representing Leader Jerusalem, qualified for the final with a jump of 7.69 metres, placing fifth in qualifying.[5] The wind exceeded the permitted limit, preventing that mark from counting as either a personal best or a new Israeli youth record.[5] In the final, Adika finished eighth with 7.52 metres, recorded with a wind reading of +2.7 metres per second, again above the permitted limit.[4]

Swiss athlete Audrey Werro won the European U20 800 metres title at the age of 17.[6] Her winning time at Givat Ram Stadium was 2:03.38.[6]

At the opening of the championships, Noam Mamo of Hapoel Emek Hefer ran the 400 metres in 47.20 seconds, setting a new Israeli U20 record.[5] He finished third in his heat and ninth overall, narrowly missing qualification for the final.[5] His time was also ranked second in Europe and 14th in the world among U18 athletes.[5]

In the 100 metres, Eden Sela advanced to the semifinal with a time of 10.44 seconds, ranking ninth overall in the qualifying round.[5] Although faster than his personal best, the time was recorded with a wind reading of +2.8 metres per second, above the permitted limit.[5] Sela subsequently placed 15th in the semifinal in 10.64 seconds.[5] Ido Peretz, who was still eligible for the cadet age group, placed 19th overall in 10.52 seconds; excessive wind also prevented his mark from counting as a personal best.[5]

Eyal Uziel ran 13.80 seconds in the 110-metre hurdles, placing 26th among 42 competitors.[5] His time was faster than both his personal best and the Israeli U20 record, but a wind reading of +2.3 metres per second prevented its recognition as a record.[5] In the 100-metre hurdles, Linoy Levy recorded 13.70 seconds and placed 22nd overall.[5]

Sela also competed in the long jump, recording 7.46 metres and placing 14th among 24 competitors.[5] Seventeen-year-old Shani Zakhai ran the 400 metres in 56.69 seconds to finish 27th overall.[5] In the 400-metre hurdles, Matan Dan recorded 54.36 seconds and placed 33rd among 38 competitors.[4]

The championships gave Jerusalem consecutive opportunities to stage European age-group athletics meets after the city hosted the U18 event in 2022.[1]

A longer-term sporting legacy was visible in the career of Swiss 800-metre champion Audrey Werro. By September 2026, she had won the senior European title and run 1:53.70, approaching Jarmila Kratochvílová’s 1:53.28 world record from 1983.[6]

Pre-event commentary portrayed the championships as both a showcase for emerging athletes and evidence of Israel’s growing role as an international sports host. European Athletics president Dobromir Karamarinov called the competition “a great opportunity to watch the stars of the future” and said some participants would compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.[1]

Baran similarly characterized hosting such tournaments as a way to strengthen Israel’s international sporting profile, saying it sent a message throughout Europe that Israel was “on the map.”[2] Retrospective coverage in 2026 highlighted Werro’s Jerusalem title as an early milestone in her subsequent rise in the 800 metres.[6]

Baran described Israel’s hosting role as a change in its standing in sports and politics.[3] He said organizers had received support for staging the championships in Jerusalem, while acknowledging the city’s political controversy and earlier European hesitation about holding events there.[3]

The championships took place against a backdrop of political obstacles affecting Israeli participation in other international sports events.[3] Earlier in 2023, the FIFA U20 World Cup was moved from Indonesia to Argentina after Indonesia objected to Israel’s participation, and an Israeli rugby team was removed from a tournament in South Africa that spring.[3]