The Athletics European Championships in Paris between August 25-30 are canceled due to the ongoing corona pandemic. The organizer simply cannot guarantee the safety and the European Athletics Association made the decision in consultation with France's counterpart to the Public Health Authority.

For Angelica Bengtsson, the decision was no surprise.

- It was expected.

You had expected that?

- Yes, we have a stake jump group on Instagram with all the elite girls in the world and we have talked a little. Ekaterini Stefanidi (Greece) has contact with the World Atheltics and she has contact with the high ranking. She told us a few weeks ago that she was working to set the European Championships as well. She herself thought it would have been a stupid idea, says the Swedish pole-hopper to SVT Sport.

Want to start competing

Do you agree with her?

- Now that I heard that the Tokyo Olympics may not be able to run next year, I am not at all surprised that the European Championships cannot be run this year. Then it is hoped that the Swedish Athletics Association will open up so that you can compete at the local level in Sweden now so that you get a sense of everyday life and can run SM and maybe even Finnkampen later this summer. I hope so.

- It would have been motivating if you could have competed for the sake of the competition, even if it had been local.