Czech sports journalist and statistician Milan Urban is set to cover his last European Athletics Championships in Rome, the same city where his journey began 50 years ago in 1974 when the Italian capital staged the event for the first time.
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As the championships return to the iconic Stadio Olimpico for the second time from June 7-12, 2024 after half a century, Urban’s journey comes full circle. Rome 2024 will be his 16th in a row and has said it will be his last participation in a major athletics event. In the past he contributed to daily sports newspaper Československý sport and was a collaborator of radio station Československý rozhlas and Atletika magazine. He currently contributes to the regional press.
Urban was among the journalists honoured at the AIPS Journalists on the Podium at the European Athletics Championships which took place in Munich in 2022.
MAN OF MANY HATS Milan Urban was born on 22 September 1948 in Prostějov (Central Moravia). He has worked for many years in the field of athletic statistics, as a referee and official. His name is mainly associated with athletic club SK Slavia Praha. He worked in the Prague Athletic Federation and was a member of the expert committees of the Czech Athletic Federation (ČAS). He prepares documents for brochures and statistical summaries published by the Czech Federation or for organisers of important Czech events (e.g. Ostrava Golden Spike, Josef Odložil Memorial, Poděbrady Walking).
Urban published the World Indoor Yearbook (1979-92). For decades he has been preparing the ČAS yearbook Atletické výkony (“Athletic Performances”). Since 1994 he has been publishing the results bulletin Sekundy a metry (“Seconds and Metres”) as the official statistician of the ČAS.
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FAVOURITE EVENT His favourite speciality is the women’s heptathlon, in which he has contributed to European Athletics and World Athletics (IAAF) publications. He has been a member of the ATFS since 1972 and president of the Czech Association of Athletics Statisticians (since 2009).
