1978 European Athletics Championships — 1978 edition of the European Athletics Championships
The 12th European Athletics Championships in Prague were marked by notable doping disqualifications under IAAF rules, affecting athletes from the Soviet Union and Bulgaria.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 12th European Athletics Championships
- Dates
- 29 August – 3 September 1978
- Venue
- Stadion Evžena Rošického, Prague
- Doping bans issued
- 5 athletes disqualified
- Ban duration
- 18 months per infringement
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Several Soviet and Bulgarian athletes competed in the championships despite later being found to have violated IAAF doping regulations. The widespread nature of performance-enhancing drug use in Eastern Bloc athletics during this era created conditions for multiple violations at a single major event.
The 12th European Athletics Championships were held from 29 August to 3 September 1978 at the Stadion Evžena Rošického in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The competition featured track and field events across multiple disciplines, with contemporaneous coverage provided by the Glasgow Herald.
Following the championships, five athletes received 18-month bans under IAAF doping rules: Soviet shot putter Yevgeniy Mironov, javelin thrower Vasiliy Yershov, pentathletes Nadiya Tkachenko and Yekaterina Gordiyenko, and Bulgarian shot putter Elena Stoyanova. These disqualifications highlighted growing concerns about doping in international athletics.
Result
at Stadion Evžena Rošického, Prague