"For 100 years, we have been producing the car and finally we have asked the market what kind of car they want," Pierce O'Callaghan, the EOC's European Games senior consultant and a key figure behind the new format, told insidethegames afterwards.
"We have conducted research with broadcasters, young people, social media etc. and these are the formats and events we want.
"Each match will last around the length of a football match - so will suit shorter attention spans.
"Other events, including endurance races, are too long rather than short and snappy.
"We have the full support of the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) and expect this to be the future of the sport."