First held, for men only, in 1934 in
Turin, and separately for women for the first time in
Vienna in 1938, the Championships took place every four years following the end of the
World War II, with the exception of the 1969 and 1971 editions, becoming a joint men's and women's competition from the third edition in 1946 in
Oslo. Since 2010, they have been organised every two years, and when they coincide with the
Summer Olympics, the
marathon and
racewalking events are not contested. From 2016, a
half-marathon event has been held in those Olympic years, and both the marathon and half-marathon events held as part of the Championships also function as the principle European elite team events at those distances. The championships were long dominated by
Eastern Bloc countries, especially the
Soviet Union and
East Germany. About 30 years after the dissolution of both countries, with the
2022 edition,
Great Britain & Northern Ireland finally took the lead in the all-time medal table, although that is the case only when predecessor and successor states are not combined (i.e. the Soviet Union and Russia). German athletes, who have historically competed for various national teams (Nazi Germany, West Germany, East Germany and present-day reunified Germany), have won most gold medals and most medals in total. In 2018 and 2022, the European Athletics Championships formed part of the quadrennial multi-sport
European Championships, a new event designed and held by individual European sports federations. In 2022, European Athletics announced its intention to withdraw from the multi-sport event for 2026. The 2020 edition set for
Charlety Stadium in Paris was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, making this the first cancellation of the event since the 1942 championship was abandoned due to
World War II. The event was not moved to an alternative date, with Munich continuing as the scheduled host in 2022. An indoor equivalent, the
European Athletics Indoor Championships, is organised by the
European Athletic Association in odd numbered years. While
the European Games of 2015 featured athletics, as did the Games in
2023, these events are not editions of the European Athletics Championships. Instead, from 2023, the European Games athletics program consists of alternating editions of the biennial
European Athletics Team Championships, a national team championships also arranged by
European Athletics which includes European Games medals for individuals. Notes:
♂ – men,
♀ – women ==All-time medal table==