Dynamic New Athletics was tested in Minsk ©Minsk 2019

European Athletics Council member Libor Varhaník has hailed a "successful" test of a new format of track and field which will be used at the Minsk 2019 European Games.

The President of Czech Athletics is in charge of the Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) project, a new mixed team format of the sport which will debut on a major stage in the Belarus capital next year.

Held over two hours, DNA sees teams of men and women vie for supremacy in 10 events, which organisers say embraces "the basic athletics building-blocks of running, jumping and throwing".

Disciplines include the "Track'athlon" - an athletics assault course featuring a sled run, shot put toss, standing long jump, water jump, medicine ball run and parachute run - as well as "The Hunt", a distance-medley race in which the best-performing teams in the first nine events will get a proportionate head start.

The format was tested on September 27 at the Dinamo Stadium in Minsk, which will be a key venue at the second edition of the European Games.

Six regional teams from across Belarus took part and technical staff were given a first opportunity to officiate a DNA competition. 

Libor Varhaník has praised the new format ©Getty Images
Libor Varhaník has praised the new format ©Getty Images

"It was really great to finally see the DNA concept come to life during this test event in Minsk," said Varhaník.

"Dynamic New Athletics has passed our test successfully and we are looking forward to seeing Europe's best teams competing in this format at Minsk 2019 next year."

European Olympic Committees President Janez Kocijančič also praised the format as build-up to the organisation's flagship event continues.

"The European Olympic Committees is proud to have worked with European Athletics to develop this new, compact dimension of athletics," he said.

"The European Games are a platform for the best European athletes as well as innovation, and we are pleased that we have a strong mix of traditional sports and relatively new ones, including DNA, beach soccer and 3×3 basketball. 

"Minsk 2019 will feature something for everyone."

A DNA workshop will now be held in the Olympic capital of Lausanne on October 26 while a second test event has been pencilled in for the Dinamo Stadium next spring.

However, the format has been criticised by some and the track and field at the first edition of the European Games in Baku in 2015 was of a low standard.

Fifteen sports will be held at Minsk 2019 in all, between June 21 and June 30.