The European Athletics Association (EAA) Council announced the decision after a three-day meeting in Barcelona.

The Finnish capital was the only bidder.

Details of the plans had first been revealed exclusively by insidethegames in April 2007.

It will be the first occasion that the event switches to a two-year cycle and will not include the marathon events nor the walks, raising questions about the quality of the Championships, which will begin on June 27 and July 1, and the fear is that leading athletes will decide not to compete in Helsinki, with the Olympics opening on July 27.

A full programme will be held in the years the championships do not clash with the Olympics.

Helsinki previously staged the event in 1971 and 1994, while the city also hosted the World Championships in 1983 and 2005, where the winners include Paula Radcliffe in the marathon.

EAA President Hansjörg Wirz said: "We are very pleased to confirm that Helsinki will be the hosts of the European Athletics Championships in 2012.

"Athletics is a hugely popular sport in Finland and today we have been assured that we can look forward to a fantastic event.

"There are some conditions to be fulfilled and we will work hard together with the host broadcaster, the local organising committee, the city and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to make sure these are dealt with by the end of this year to all parties' satisfaction and that the 2012 Championships are successful."

The event will be held in Helsinki's Olympic Stadium, which staged the 1952 Games, where the legendary Emil Zatopek won gold medals in the 5,000 metres, 10,000m and the marathon.

Finland Athletics Federation President Antti Pihlakoski said, "This is a fantastic day for the city of Helsinki, the Finnish Athletics Federation and the country of Finland and I am very pleased that we are able to host for a third time this prestigious Championships."

European Athletics has set a deadline of 15 December for an agreement to be reached on certain television production matters linked to the EBU's coverage of the European football championships, which end in Kyiv on July 1.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
October 2008: European Athletics launches new strategy including European Championships in 2012
November 2007: European Athletics Championships for 2012
May 2007: European Championship plan criticised
April 2007: European Athletics Championships could be held in 2012