The first international meet in Liévin was in 1988, two years after the construction of the regional Arena Stade Couvert in Liévin, recognized for being one of the largest modern indoor athletics stadiums in Europe.
After organizing the Indoor European Championship in 1987, Michel Bernard, the president of the Ligue Nord/Pas-de-Calais d’Athlétisme, decided to organize a large international event for the following year. Thus, the meeting at Liévin was born.
The baton was passed on to Philppe Lamblin in 1989, who, within the next four years, skyrocketed the meeting into the becoming one of the best in the world.
Georges Pochon, who was president of the Ligue Nord/Pas-de-Calais d’Athlétisme from 1997 until 2004, preserved the meet’s high level.
From 2006, Phillip Lamblin, the current president of the Ligue Hauts-de-France (created from the fusion of the Ligue Nord/Pas-de-Calais d’Athlétisme and Ligue Picardie d’Athlétisme in 2016), has reprised his role and despite a two-year interruption following renovations and expansions the Arena Stade Couvert, the meeting quickly propelled itself onto the world stage until 2012. What followed were years of closures for an indeterminate time due to technical problems in the stadium.
After six years of waiting and uncertainty, the Arena Stade Couvert finally reopened its doors at the end of 2017. With this announcement, the event’s organizers lost no time in rapidly finding partners and sponsor in order to revive the Indoor Meet at Liévin and return to the international scene in 2018.
Thanks to its excellent results, the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF joined the world circuit (world Indoor Tour in 2020) and achieved the best total ever achieved in the world with 46,596 points. It becomes for the 12th time in 26 editions, the 1st world meeting !
In 2021, For the second time in a row, the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF is No. 1 in the world with 47,424 points, again the highest total of points in history !
The year 2022 confirmed the supremacy of the meeting, which once again took the place of world leader.
In 2023, the meeting continued its success by taking the 1st place in the world for the 4th consecutive year by beating the world record for points.
Last year in 2024, the meeting wins again for the 5th time.
WORLD RANKING 2024
1- Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF, LIEVIN (FRA) > 47 362 points
2 - Millrose Games, New York, NEW YORK (USA) > 46 549 points
3- New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, BOSTON (USA) > 46 297 points
4- ORLEN Copernicus Cup, Arena, TORUN (POL) > 45 175 points
5 - Czech Indoor Gala, OSTRAVA (CZE) > 44 513 points
Thank you to all the partners and volunteers who once again trust us to continue the great adventure of this legendary meeting.
Oh, the memories…
10 World Records of Meet Winners
Lane 6 seems to be magic lane, having seen three 200m world records demolished in it.
1993 : 200m, women - Merlene Ottey (JAM), establishing a fabulous world record in 21"87 which still stands.
Relive the race : https://youtu.be/WfQsbv6HAuM
1993 : Pole Vault, men - Sergueï Bubka (UKR), vaulting for an incredible height of 6,14m which still today, appears inaccessible.
Relive the jump : https://youtu.be/7vVJ9H_ozdo
1994 : Triple Jump, women - Inna Lasovskaya (RUS), havin three giant jumps solidify a mark of 14,9m
1995 : 200m, men - Linford Christie (GBR), beating F.Fredericks for the world record in 20"25.
1996 : 200m, men - Franck Ferdericks (NAM), taking the title the next year and the world record, being the first man to run under 20 seconds indoor with a time of 19"92
Relive the race : https ://youtu.be/hwy2PiCh8Wg
2002 : Pole Vault, women - Svetlana Feofanova (RUS), beat the world record for the fourth time this season with a jump of 4,74m
2005 : Pole Vault, women - Yelena Isinbayeva (RUS), with a jump of 4,89m, she surpassed her competition and continued to add to her record centimeter by centimeter.
2021 : 1500m women - Gudaf Tsegay (ETH), broke the world record in the 1500m in 3'53"09 a few months before stepping on the Olympic podium in the 5000m
Relive the race : https://youtu.be/IVp7C5V-MjU
2022 : Men's 1500m - Jakob INGEBRIGTSEN (NOR), young Norwegian prodigy, shatters the world record he had set himself in 3'30''60
Relive the race: https://youtu.be/olEzsykpKbw
2023: Men's 3000m - Lamecha GIRMA (ETH), after a close call in 2021, the 3000m world record is finally broken by the world and Olympic vice-champion in 7'23''81
+ 1 World record under the European Championship in 1987
1987 : 200m, men: Bruno Marie-Rose (FRA), was the first to make a mark and imprint himself in the history of the track, running for a time of 20"36.
Relive the race : https://youtu.be/AhoTIdRjO8k