ABOUT EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS MANAGEMENT
European Championships Management Sàrl (ECM) is the organisation that founded the multi-sport European Championships and which manages and coordinates the event in cooperation with the participating Federations, host cities and broadcast partners, continuously developing the event concept.
The highly successful UEFA Champions League may not be an obvious link to the European Championships but it planted the seeds that bore fruit for the first time in Glasgow and Berlin in the summer of 2018.
Two men involved in the revamping of football’s premier club competition – Paul Bristow and Marc Joerg – felt there was a major hole to be filled in Europe by bringing the existing European Championships of a limited number of high-profile sports together under one umbrella.
It is a proven fact that there is greater interest – in terms of attendance and television audiences – for multi-sports events rather than separate, individual championships. In simple terms, Bristow and Joerg knew that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, when the right combination of sports are brought together.
That’s exactly what they did for the European Championships Glasgow/Berlin 2018 with Aquatics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon taking place across central Scotland, and Berlin hosting Athletics. For Munich 2022, new sports Beach Volleyball, Canoe Sprint, Sport Climbing and Table Tennis joined Athletics, Cycling, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon.
ECM, co-founded by Bristow and Joerg, coordinates the overall timetable of the individual championships to maximise media exposure as well as TV spectator experience, with a uniform brand and overall medal table and trophy other unifying elements.
It all adds up to perhaps the biggest innovation in European sport since – yes – the UEFA Champions League.
ECM EXPERTISE
The role of the European Championships Management Team is to manage and coordinate the multi-sport European Championships in cooperation with the stakeholders. With our many years of combined sports industry experience, we bring expertise in a number of different areas.
To connect with European Championships Management contact James Mulligan, Director, Communications, at james.mulligan@europeanchampionships.com
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS MANAGEMENT TEAM
Paul Bristow
Co-founder & Managing Director
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Paul Bristow has over 30 years of experience in event management, marketing, television, data, graphics and digital media. Before founding ECM, he was COO of one of the world’s leading sports media technology companies, Deltatre, providing digital media solutions to the likes of FIFA, UEFA, World Athletics, London2012, Rugby World Cup, NBC, BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Star TV India. He was also Director of Television for the IAAF (World Athletics) before becoming a Director at TEAM Marketing developing and delivering the commercial concept for the first 10 years of the UEFA Champions League.
Marc Jörg
Co-founder & Managing Director
Nicolas Duchoud
Director, Sports
James Mulligan
Director, Communications
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James Mulligan has over 15 years’ experience in sports PR and communications. A former sports journalist, he previously worked as Head of Communications for European Athletics, leading on the development and implementation of the governing body’s communications strategy and promotion activities, building the value of the brand and promoting the organisation's events and activities to stakeholders, partners, media and public. Since 2016, he has led on the communication and brand strategy for the multi-sport European Championships, coordinating the participating federations, host cities and European Broadcasting Union for the successful first edition in Glasgow and Berlin in 2018 and Munich in 2022.
Carole Burion
Senior Sports Coordinator
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Carole has 12 years of experience in event management, marketing and sponsorship. Prior to joining European Championships Management, she coordinated marketing events and media activities for Swiss local television. She has participated in multiple VIP sporting events commissioned by Swiss companies, such as the Ski World Cup and Ski World Championships, where she was in charge of organizing full VIP packages and logistics. Sport addict, ski teacher and personal trainer, Carole has always tried to combine her passion for sport with her professional endeavor. She is recognized for her communicative energy, strong interpersonal skills, her drive for togetherness and results.
Maria Peredo Silva
Brand Manager
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Maria is a former international level swimmer with over 13 years of experience in branding and visual communications. Prior to working in European Championships, she worked as Communications Manager for the World Confederation of Billiards Sports leading the development of their branding and communications strategy. She has successfully worked in branding and digital media in different countries and industries. Her expertise lies in art direction, graphic design, content creation and stakeholder management. She holds a Masters in Sports Management by the AISTS. Maria represented her country Mexico in several international competitions and currently serves as an Education Ambassador for the International Testing Agency.
Askan Brehm
Host Liaison Manager
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Askan is a former high jumper who started volunteering in his home club and worked many years for the ISTAF Berlin athletics meeting and Berlin Marathon. He has worked for over 20 years for international sponsoring and event marketing agencies in promotion as well as on football tournaments, winter sports, and, most recently, the ABB FIA Formula E. For 8 years he worked as Events Manager and Venue Operations and Broadcast Manager for UEFA, delivering Champions League, Europa League and Nations League matches. Located in Munich, he is ECM’s day-to-day contact with the LOC working across all its responsibilities and interests.
Berit Åsleff
Senior Legal Counsel
David Owen
Digital Consultant
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David Owen has a wealth of experience in the digital media space. Previously, as head of Marketing and Business Development at Reuters Europe, he oversaw the migration to digital news gathering and distribution for the world-renowned news agency. Since 2004, he manages his own company providing digital solutions, OTT platforms and consultancy services to leading sports federations and organisations. He was responsible for the successful delivery of the first European live streaming of an Olympic Games (Torino 2006) and the conception, monetization and delivery of a pan-European OTT portal managing 85 live streams for London 2012.
Martin Fitchie, PhD
Technology Consultant
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Martin is a leading global sport technology expert. His 20-plus years of experience spans the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, the World and European Championships of several sports, and a variety of other sport and non-sporting events. Delighted to re-join the team in 2020, Martin was one of the first employees to join ECM in 2015, supporting Glasgow to develop and deliver a high quality and sustainable technology solution. Martin is a passionate sportsman, competitive ‘vet’ athlete and ISIA qualified ski instructor.
Keith Thomas
Broadcast Consultant