Speaking as part of a panel discussion entitled "Young Leaders: Social Multipliers", Gracia expressed his belief that participants should continue to be involved in the development of athletics beyond the event itself.

Running alongside the 2016 European Athletics Championships here in the Dutch capital, this year’s Forum is a five-day educational event that aims to equip young people to design and deliver projects that benefit the grassroots of athletics and local communities.

"It is very important that the link after you stay here exists with the Member Federation in order to change things," Gracia told the young leaders.

"The idea behind it is not just to spend a week here during the European Championships.

"It’s really for you to have a goal within your Member Federation, which could be at local level or national level."

Earlier this week, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) President Sebastian Coe said he was pleased to see so many women involved at the Forum at a time when the world governing body is aiming to foster gender equality. 

Gracia described it as an example of where European Athletics has to make progress, citing the fact that Athletics Ireland is the only Member Federation led by a woman - Georgina Drumm.

Coe issued an apology to Drumm on Twitter on Thursday (July 7) having taken to the online social networking service earlier that day to state "No female presidents of 51 federations in Europe. Good to see so many female young leaders #EAYLF2016 #ECH2016"

Drumm was elected Athletics Ireland President at the national governing body’s 2016 Congress in April.

Gracia, secretary general of the IAAF, apologised for Coe’s error before going onto highlight the importance of the Forum participants.

"We need you, the young leaders, to bring new values, to bring new ideas, to bring new concepts if we want to be the number one sport in the Olympics," added the Frenchman.

Gracia was joined on the panel by Nevena Vukasinovic, secretary general at European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation (ENGSO) Youth, and Maria Kypriotou from the Youth and Sport section of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Also offering their insights were Britt Bakker, a member of Vrije Universite's diversity department, and social change activist Luvuyo Mandela, the great grandson of South African icon Nelson Mandela.

The discussion was preceded by a guest interview with two-time Olympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway, as well as a funding application workshop led by ENGSO Youth policy officer Sara Massini.

The young leaders were also introduced to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and received a presentation from Kypriotou on #Youth4change, which aims to enable young women and men to become social multipliers through sport.

Today's proceedings concluded with the final round of project workshops and the last of the presentations on pre-Forum individual displays, illustrating participants' ideas on ways to contribute to the development of athletics at local and national levels.  

The Forum, now in its fifth edition, is due to finish tomorrow when the guest interviewee will be world and European 800 metres medallist Jenny Meadows of Great Britain.