The 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships were the 13th edition of the biennial athletics competition between European athletes under the age of twenty-three. It was planned to be held in Bergen, Norway from 8 to 11 July., but this venue was cancelled for Covid pandemic reasons. Initially it was intended that the event would be postponed and held in another venue after the 2020 Olympic Games. Eventually the original dates were retained, and Tallinn, Estonia was chosen as the venue. This meant that Tallinn hosted two age-group championships in successive weeks: after the European Athletics U23 Championships, the Kadriorg Stadium also hosted between 15 and 18 July the European Athletics U20 Championships. For the first time in 13 editions, Italian team topped the medal table.

The Kadriorg Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. Opened in 1926, it is one of the oldest stadiums in Estonia. It is currently used mostly for track and field competitions, but also serves as a home ground for JK Tallinna Kalev. The stadium holds 5,000. The Kadriorg Stadium is located about 2 km east of the city centre in the subdistrict of Kadriorg near the Kadriorg Palace. The address of the stadium is Roheline aas 24, 10150 Tallinn.