Opened by European Athletics chief executive Christian Milz, the first of two days of discussion saw the delegates consider the challenges in the fields of standard medical treatment and drugs, and physio treatment of common injuries.

Alma Kajeniene and Roswitha Gerdes-Kuhn of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) Medical Commission were also on hand to deliver a presentation on Pre-Participation Medical Examination (PPME).

Delegates were asked to complete a questionnaire to help European Athletics learn how it can better contribute to promote health and safety in the sport. 

The continental governing body is keen to know how different countries' medical services are working and whether their athletes benefit from a medical screening prior to the season - Periodic Health Evaluation (PHE) - or prior international competition - PPME.

Pedro Branco, chairman of the European Athletics Medical and Anti-Doping Commission, is hopeful that this year’s seminar will be the first of many.

"We all kind of know each other in coming to these Championships year after year," he told insidethegames. 

"Most of these doctors have been working in their Federations for 10 to 20 years and they really know the elite athletes, and what’s happening in sports medicine and athletics specifically. 

"But we don’t communicate much and we’re a small group inside all the sport medicine specialists - there’s a lot of different sports.

"So to a point, it was our thought - the Medical and Anti-Doping Commission of European Athletics, which I lead - that it would be of an advantage to build-up a bit more communication."

The Portuguese added: "This can then build-up education for those countries that don’t have it, so they could profit from different experiences from other physicians and physiotherapists.

"But at the same time, we could also promote discussion and with this kind of discussion, perhaps we can build working groups or consensus groups, and perhaps we can have a standard voice throughout Europe regarding the healthcare of our athletes.

"This is the first edition and we’ll try to push it over so to continue at least every two years and build it up with more countries."

Tomorrow, attention turns to European Athletics' Injury and Illness Prevention Study, looking at what’s been done so far and the way forward.

Injury and illness surveillance studies have been conducted during European Athletics Championships since 2010 in a bid to determine the incidence and the characteristics of injury and illness that occur during Athletics Championships.

There will also be sessions on nutritional recovery and anti-doping, while a medical meeting is due to be held ahead of the 2016 European Athletics Championships. 

The five-day Championships are scheduled to take place here in the Dutch capital from Wednesday (July 6) to Sunday (July 10).