John Culatto
TINY Gibraltar is now represented at the highest level in sports after one of its own got elected onto the European Athletics Council last weekend.
Frank Carreras, who retired in recent years as income tax chief on the Rock, said his new role will help ‘deliver bigger and better benefits for local athletes’.
The Gibraltar man took his place on the council after eight years as President of the Athletics Association of the Small States of Europe.
“My real and hard work starts now,” Carreras told the Olive Press after he got the position.
Carreras has achieved meteoric success in athletics since he became president of the Gibraltar Amateur Athletics Association about 15 years ago.
He became Commissioner of Income Tax and Assistant Chief Secretary of the Gibraltar civil service and got an OBE in 2019.
On the sporting side, his influence grew when he started to lead the small states of Europe in athletics in 2015.
The association represents 20% of the European athletics family.
“My success proves that however small a sporting nation is, we can always challenge the much bigger sporting countries and make European and World governing bodies listen to our voice,” he said.
“I believe that my election as a council member of European Athletics is great news both for local athletics and sporting associations in Gibraltar generally.”
Delegates from 49 member federations chose Carreras as one of 13 council members at the 2023 European Athletics Congress in Belgrade, Serbia.
He will hold the position for the next four years.
Delegates re-elected Dobromir Karamarinov as European Athletics President. Sebastian Coe heads World Athletics.
“Frank has been a stalwart of local athletics for a long time now. His work internationally continues to provide close ties and support for Gibraltar,” Minister for Sport Steven Linares said.
“His presidency of the European Athletics Small States Association has cemented Gibraltar’s place in European athletics and this latest news emerging from the conference in Belgrade is extremely gratifying to hear.”
Carreras was a leading voice for Gibraltar’s application to become an Olympic nation.
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