| 9th European Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates | 16 – 21 September |
| Host city | Athens, Greece |
| Venue | Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium |
| Level | Senior |
| Type | Outdoor |
| Events | 38 |
| Participation | 674 athletes from 30 nations |
The 9th European Athletics Championships were held from 16–21 September 1969 in the Karaiskaki Stadium of Athens, the capital of Greece. New at these championships were the women's 1500 metres and the women's 4×400 metres relay event. Moreover, women's 80 metres hurdles was replaced by women's 100 metres hurdles. Contemporaneous reports on the event were given in the Glasgow Herald.[clarification needed][1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Former East German runner Jürgen May, who had defected, was not allowed to compete for his new country, West Germany, due to IAAF rules requiring him to live there for at least three years; he had competed for East Germany in the 1966 championships.[2] West German officials promptly withdrew their athletes from all individual events in protest, but decided to compete in the relay races as a symbolic gesture to show their respect for the Greek organisers. [3]
The Dutch decathlete Edward de Noorlander was disqualified for the use of amphetamine, the first disqualification for doping in athletics.[8][9]
