On Tuesday 13 October 2026, the Luxembourg Athletics Federation (FLA) reported that the European Athletics Coaching Summit, held on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026 at the Coque in Luxembourg-Kirchberg, had attracted 150 accreditations and participants from 23 countries.

According to the FLA, the event was the largest coaching conference it had organised to date. Held as part of the European Athletics Coaching Summit Series, the conference brought together coaches, researchers, experts and performance professionals from across Europe.

The two-day event focused on how athletes can be better supported throughout their development towards elite-level competition, including talent identification, training methods, the transition to senior-level competition and the relationship between athletes and coaches.

Rogier Ummels, Head of Talent Development at the Dutch athletics federation, and Professor Arne Güllich addressed methods of identifying and supporting young athletes. Their presentations examined the distinction between early success and long-term development potential, taking into account differences in maturation and individual development pathways. Maël Bohren of Swiss Athletics discussed performance assessments and training monitoring.

Rob Gray, Professor at Arizona State University, addressed motor learning and the design of training situations that encourage the transfer of skills to competition. Practical sessions led by Ketty Cham, coach of Laëticia Bapté, and Aston Moore, who has coached Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jazmin Sawyers, focused on adapting training methods to different stages of athlete development through hurdles and plyometric exercises.

Luxembourg athlete Patrizia van der Weken, a world and European medallist, and her coach Arnaud Starck discussed the athlete-coach relationship, highlighting trust, communication and the development of a shared sporting project.

Karla Drew of the University of Staffordshire addressed the transition to senior-level competition and the prevention of athletes dropping out of sport. Multidisciplinary discussions involving Wolfgang Adler (Swiss Athletics), Nadia Mossong (LIHPS), Vera Bertemes-Hoffmann (FLA athlete) and Raymond Conzemius (COSL) covered coaching, training, support and the balance between sporting demands and other aspects of an athlete's life.

According to the federation, the conference also provided opportunities for participants to exchange experiences and discuss different European training methods.

Anne Reiser, Training Manager at the FLA, commented: "The success of this European Athletics Coaching Summit is a source of great satisfaction for the Luxembourg Athletics Federation. Beyond the number of participants and the quality of the speakers, it is above all the richness of the discussions and the lessons shared that make this event valuable." She added: "We are convinced that the development of our athletes depends first and foremost on the training and support of our coaches. Hosting such an event in Luxembourg gives them the opportunity to learn from the best international practices and to continue advancing Luxembourg athletics."