title: Euro 2012 European Football Championship Finals: planning for a health legacy.
abstract: The revised international health regulations offer a framework that can be used by host countries to organise public health activities for mass gatherings. From June 8, to July 1, 2012, Poland and Ukraine jointly hosted the Union of European Football Associations European Football Championship Finals (Euro 2012). More than 8 million people from around the world congregated to watch the games. Host countries and international public health agencies planned extensively to assess and build capacity in the host countries and to develop effective strategies for dissemination of public health messages. The effectiveness of public health services was maximised through rapid sharing of information between parties, early use of networks of experienced individuals, and the momentum of existing national health programmes. Organisers of future mass gatherings for sporting events should share best practice and their experiences through the WHO International Observer Program. Research about behaviour of large crowds is needed for crowd management and the evidence base translated into practice. A framework to measure and evaluate the legacy of Euro 2012 is needed based on the experiences and the medium-term and long-term benefits of the tournament.
authors.affiliation: Global Capacities, Alert and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: smallwoodc@who.int.
authors.forename: Catherine A H
authors.initials: CAH
authors.lastname: Smallwood
authors.affiliation: Global Capacities, Alert and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Katherine G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Arbuthnott
authors.affiliation: Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Banczak-Mysiak
authors.affiliation: WHO Virtual Inter-disciplinary Advisory Group on Mass Gatherings, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mariya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borodina
authors.affiliation: Alert and Response Operations, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.affiliation: Surveillance and Response Support Unit, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Payne-Hallström
authors.affiliation: National Healthcare and Rescue Coordination, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lipska
authors.affiliation: State Sanitary Inspectorate, Kiev, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lyashko
authors.affiliation: Country Office in Poland, WHO, Ministry of Health, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Miroslaw
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miklasz
authors.affiliation: Country Office in Poland, WHO, Ministry of Health, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miskiewicz
authors.affiliation: Country Office Ukraine, WHO, Kiev, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Dorit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nitzan
authors.affiliation: Country Office Ukraine, WHO, Kiev, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pokanevych
authors.affiliation: Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Posobkiewicz
authors.affiliation: Country Emergency Preparedness, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rockenschaub
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadkowska-Todys
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Kiev, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sinelnik
authors.affiliation: WHO Virtual Inter-disciplinary Advisory Group on Mass Gatherings, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smiley
authors.affiliation: European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Rysard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tomialoic
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Kiev, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Volodimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yurchenko
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ziad A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Memish
authors.affiliation: Chatham House, London, UK; London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Public Health England, London, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heymann
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre on Mass Gatherings, Public Health England, London, UK.
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endericks
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre on Mass Gatherings, Public Health England, London, UK.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCloskey
authors.affiliation: Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK; University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Alimuddin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zumla
authors.affiliation: Global Capacities, Alert and Response, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barbeschi
mesh_terms: D003441:Crowding; D006285:Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D011044:Poland; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012916:Soccer; D014195:Travel; D014455:Ukraine; D014944:World Health Organization