On June 28th and 29th, Ireland will compete in Division Two of what's known as the European Athletics Team Championships, set to take place in Maribor, Slovenia. But what exactly is it, and how does it work? It’s one of the few international track and field events where the spotlight shifts from individual glory to overall team performance. So rather than medals for single events, countries battle it out across the full programme - sprints, throws, jumps, relays and distance races, with points awarded for finishing positions. The goal? Finish high enough across the board to be crowned champions of your division, earn promotion, or simply avoid relegation.
How It Works
Each country fields one athlete per event. Points are earned based on where athletes finish, so obviously first place gets the most, last gets the least, and a no-show means zero. The cumulative total across all events determines a country’s final position in the standings.
There are no medals for winning the 1500m or throwing the hammer the furthest, it’s all about contributing to the running team tally. In recent editions, the mixed 4x400m relay has been included too, adding to the drama late on Sunday evening.
The competition is split into three divisions, First, Second, and Third, with promotion and relegation between each tier. The top three teams in a division move up for the next edition, the bottom three go down. It’s a bit like the Nations League in football, but with shot puts instead of shin pads.
A Short History
The Championships was born in 2009, replacing the old European Cup which had run since the 1960s. Back then, men and women competed separately, and the format lacked the all-in national team flavour the current competition offers. The new version merged both genders' points, added more events, and structured the contest like a league.
Initially, there were four divisions, but that was trimmed to three in 2023, when the Championships were temporarily merged with the European Games just for that edition. That year, for the first time, athletes also received European Games medals based on their times, not just where they finished within their division.
Ireland’s Role Over the Years
Ireland have usually found themselves bouncing between the second and third divisions. In 2013, the Second Division was hosted on home soil at Morton Stadium in Santry, a rare opportunity for fans to see international team athletics in Dublin.
They didn’t compete at all in 2021, due to COVID restrictions and got relegated to Division 3 as a result. But in 2023, the team responded with a statement performance.
Competing in Silesia, Poland, Ireland dominated Division 3 from start to finish. They picked up six individual event wins in both men's and women's events (twelve total), the men's 4x100m relay, and capped off the weekend by winning the mixed 4x400m relay, finishing a full 20.5 points clear of Austria. That win more than comfortably secured promotion to Division 2 for 2025.
Among the standout performances was Sarah Lavin, who not only won the 100m hurdles for maximum team points, but also ran the third-fastest time across all three divisions. That earned her a European Games bronze medal, a quirk of that year’s format and a well-earned addition to her repetoire.
Who’s in Division 2 With Ireland?
Fast forward to 2025, and unlike the 2023 edition, where all three divisions took place in Silesia, Divisions Two and Three will be held in Maribor, while Division One takes place in Madrid.
Ireland will be up against a formidable field, including:
Belgium
Turkey
Romania
Norway
Cyprus
And a few others looking for that coveted promotion spot
The top three finishers will be promoted to Division 1 – the elite level where the likes of Great Britain, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands reside. The bottom three will be relegated to Division 3. So while it’s not quite the Olympics, there’s still plenty on the line.
What’s Next?
Ireland has announced a strong team for Maribor, with several familiar names set to lead the charge. You can see the full Irish team for the European Athletics Team Championships here.. The mix of experienced athletes like Lavin and younger talents hungry to prove themselves gives Ireland a decent shot at a mid-table or better finish.
Whatever happens, the European Athletics Team Championships continues to be a rare showcase of teamwork in a sport more often associated with solo brilliance. It’s a weekend where everything counts, every discus throw, every baton exchange, every lane infringement.
For Irish fans, it’s also a chance to see the national team perform as a true unit competing for shared national success.