Emblem for Grosseto 2016 launched

"I am impressed by the beauty and clarity of the message contained in the logo."

The official emblem for the 2016 IPC Athletics European Championships in Grosseto, Italy, was launched on Monday, 8 June.

The logo for the event, which will take place between 10-16 June 2016, will be the official symbol of the Championships – the fifth in its history and first to be staged in Italy.

It was launched to coincide with the staging of the IPC Athletics Grand Prix, held in Grosseto this week (12-14 June) as part of the 2015 IPC Athletics Grand Prix series.

The logo was designed by Piero Gratton, one of Italy’s top graphic designers and contains a host of references linking it to Grosseto and the Paralympic Movement.

The circle of the logo reflects the image of a racing wheelchair wheel and the letter ‘C’ of Championships. Gratton has used the colour blue in the design to represent the official colour of Europe, the colour of the Grosseto track and the colour of Terranean Sea, which welcomes all visitors to Grosseto and the surrounding region.

The three lines are the colour of the Italian flag to emphasise that the country is staging the event for the first time and the three blue, green and red colours represent the IPC Agitos.

Speaking at the launch, FISPES (Italian Federation of Athletics and Experimental Sports) President Sandrino Porru said: “I am particularly proud of the European Championships logo. It identifies an athlete racing on a wheelchair but represents at the same time the Paralympic world which includes all those who want to be part of it by joining the Grosseto 2016 event.

“This is the most important gold medal that the FISPES and the Italian Paralympic Committee are targeting for the next few years. We look forward to seeing you all in Grosseto in June.”

Alfio Giomi, FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) President, added: “I am impressed by the beauty and clarity of the message contained in the logo. I am confident that the 2016 European Championships will be a huge success considering this year’s record number of Grand Prix participants and the extraordinary commitment of the city of Grosseto and its volunteers.”

Grosseto is no stranger to hosting major IPC events, having staged IPC Athletics Grand Prix for each of the last three years.

The IPC Athletics European Championships next year will provide a final chance for European para-athletes to experience a major event before September’s Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Around 700 athletes from 40 countries are expected to compete in the Carlo Zecchini Stadium – which has hosted a number of major events in recent years, including the 2004 IAAF World Junior Athletics Championships.

The Championships are expected to build on the success of the previous event held in Swansea, Great Britain in 2014. On that occasion Russia topped the medals table, ahead of Ukraine and the host nation.

Ryan Montgomery, Head of IPC Athletics, said: "We are delighted with the logo which has been created for the IPC Athletics European Championships which take place in Grosseto, Italy, in June 2016. It represents the excitement of our event and gives a real Italian essence to the Championships and its build up.

"I have every confidence that the host organisers and the Italian Federation will continue their hard work to ensure that these Championships rank among the best ever staged."