The award to Madrid was offered with a caveat as European Athletics is still in discussions with the European Olympic Committees over the possibility of athletics being showcased in Kraków through the inclusion of all leagues in the European Team Championships.

"These talks are ongoing and should they prove successful Madrid will be offered the opportunity to host the European Team Championships Super League in 2025," an European Athletics release said.

Athletics at the 2019 European Games in Minsk took the form of an experimental European Athletics format known as Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) and involved 24 of the top 30 teams at the 2017 European Team Championships.

At the inaugural 2015 European Games in Baku athletics took the form of the European Team Championships Third League competition.

The last European Team Championships Super League took place in 2019 at Bydgoszcz in Poland.

Commenting on the discussions surrounding the European Games 2023, European Athletics chief executive Christian Milz said: "Today the Council took very clear decisions on the three bids for 2023 but the awarding of the European Athletics Team Championships Super League to Madrid was taken in the full and transparent knowledge that should our discussions with the European Olympic Committee conclude successfully concerning the European Games 2023, Madrid will be offered the opportunity to host the European Athletics Team Championships Super League in 2025 instead of 2023.”

The European Athletics Council also decided to award the 2023 European under-23 Championships to Espoo in Finland and the 2023 European Under-20 Championships to Cluj-Napoca in Romania.

All the bidders made their final presentations to the Council online while the meeting itself was held at the Palace Hotel in Lausanne, the first such in-person meeting of the Council since 2019 in Istanbul due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Silesian Stadium in Poland, which hosted the recent World Athletics Relays behind closed doors from May 1 to 2, is preparing to reopen its doors to the public when it hosts this year’s European Team Championships Super League, scheduled to take place on May 29 and 30.

In line with the prevailing safety and sanitary plan, up to 7,600 spectators will be allowed access to the Silesian Stadium where the hosts will seek to win back-to-back titles in Europe’s flagship team competition.

"This is great news if indeed the situation in Poland is such that the national and regional authorities will allow spectators into the Silesian Stadium at the forthcoming European Athletics Team Championships Super League on 29-30 May," said European Athletics Interim President Dobromir Karamarinov.

"This means that around 7600 athletics fans will be able to watch the top eight teams in Europe, including hosts and reigning champions Poland, battle it out to be crowned champions of this biennial team competition."

Deputy Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship Wojciech Kałuża was among those who hailed the return of spectators.

"What are sports events without fans?" he said.

"We are overjoyed the upcoming Championships will be held with the live audience."

The European Team Championships Super League has been streamlined from 12 to eight teams for 2021 and Poland will face opposition from France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine.

The First, Second and Third Leagues of the European Team Championships are due to take place on the weekend of June 19 and 20.