The survey was commissioned and undertaken by the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL) in an attempt to reinforce its belief in the economic and social benefits of staging continental and global athletics competitions.

Among the main conclusions was that the 2,759 accredited personnel at the Championships generated an estimated €1.3 million (£1.1 million/$1.6 million) in economic contributions.

An analysis of the 36,500 spectators who attended across the four days of competition from July 20 to 23 - taking into account the various origins, ages, type of accommodation and duration of stay - concluded that overseas visitors contributed an average of €105 (£93/$125) per person per day during their stay in Grosseto.

Italians who had travelled domestically spent an average of €90 (£79/$107) per person per day.

The survey estimates that more than €4.1 million (£3.6 million/$4.9 million) was spent by non-accredited visitors to the Championships, mainly in local restaurants and bars and on accommodation.

It is claimed a further additional, but unquantifiable, boost to the economy is likely to come in the future as a questionnaire of accredited personal and non-accredited visitors saw 97 per cent give a positive response to Grosseto as a city and the Championships themselves.

Many of the respondents indicated that they would consider returning to Grosseto and/or the region of Tuscany.

Seventy-five per cent of the respondents to the questionnaire - a cross-section of local Grosseto residents, Italians from elsewhere in the country and overseas visitors - said that their perception of Grosseto and the surrounding region had improved as a result of visiting the city and region during the Championships.

Seventy-nine per cent said that they believed that the city’s image had improved because of the Championships.

The local authorities also invested almost €1 million (£882,000/$1.2 million) in infrastructural work at the host venue, the Stadio Olimpico Zecchini, as well as at the nearby warm-up track, the Campo Scuola "Bruno Zauli".

The Championships saw 12 hours of live television delivered through Italy’s national broadcaster RAI and a further 42 hours elsewhere across Europe.

Added to newspaper, website and social media coverage, this was deemed to represent the equivalent media spend of €1.7 million (£1.5 million/$2 million).

"European Athletics would like to congratulate FIDAL for undertaking the research necessary to establish the survey’s findings and the material produced will form the basis of future European Athletics presentations to potential hosts of its competitions," a statement from the continental governing body reads.

"The survey provides very strong evidence of what European Athletics has always believed, that its competitions can have a very positive economic and social impact as well as fostering the obvious benefits of good sporting competition and a healthy lifestyle."

The 2,759 accredited people at the Championships were partly made up of 1,799 from participating Member Federations - athletes, coaches, doctors and officials.

The number also included 631 accredited Local Organising Committee and FIDAL officials, judges, technicians and volunteers, and 329 media.

FIDAL and European Athletics guests, who were accommodated for an average of six nights per person in 21 hotels in Grosseto and the surrounding region, were present as well.

The survey can be accessed by clicking here.