Gibraltar To Stage Schools DNA Event
21 May 2025

Young athletes representing three secondary schools will compete in Gibraltar’s inaugural DNA (Dynamic New Athletics) Championship at the country’s modern Lathbury Athletics Sport Complex on Thursday (22 May).

According to Frank Carreras, the Gibraltar Athletics president and a European Athletics Council member, the aim of the event is to introduce the mixed-gender team athletics concept created by European Athletics and establish a platform for development in the future.

“If the students and their teachers like this test event, which I am almost sure they will, we would like to gradually grow the experiment into multi-team tournaments staged twice a year,” he said.

Officiated by volunteers from Athletics Gibraltar, Thursday’s competition will feature two teams each from Prior Park School, Bayside School and Westside School.

They will be vying for a championship shield and all competitors will receive participation medals and commemorative t-shirts supplied by Athletics Gibraltar.

Leading the project is Gibraltar Athletics Youth Officer Avelino Baldachino, a former athlete who represented his country in the 400 metres and 800 metres at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Baldachino explained that athletics’ traditional competition format is well established in Gibraltar’s schools and very popular with students up to the age of 12 years but, like in many countries, retaining the majority of teenagers is a challenge for the sport.

“We want to understand if the team aspect and other features of DNA increase the enjoyment for the older kids and helps them think they have a long-term place in athletics.”

“It is also important that the teachers like what they see. If they are enthusiastic afterwards it will really help us to work more effectively with the teenagers,” he said.

Adding that while the DNA concept has certain core principles, like ‘one event at a time’ or ‘the team result decided by the final event staggered-start Hunt relay’, Baldachino said that flexibility and innovation are encouraged, especially in competitions for younger athletes.

“We are certainly looking forward to trying out some ideas with the scoring system and other aspects and seeing how it goes. It should be a fun day.”