Dear Colleagues,
Dear Friends,
I hope you had an enjoyable Easter period and were able to spend some well-deserved time with your loved ones.
It has been another busy month for the EOC, as we reached a major milestone on the road to the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival Skopje 2025. The Chefs de Mission Seminar from 9-10 April provided an important opportunity to update all NOCs on organisational elements and venues for the event.
We were pleased and reassured by the progress achieved so far, and with less than 100 days to go we hope you share our excitement for what we expect will be a spectacular showcase of Europe’s best young athletes.
North Macedonia will become the 17th country to host the Summer edition of the EYOF. Following the decisions made at the 54th EOC General Assembly in Frankfurt, we now have hosts lined up through to 2031. In early May we will sign the Host City Contract for the 2027 Summer EYOF in Lignano Sabbiadoro.
This is a vindication of the EOC’s sustainable hosting model, and testament to the importance of the EYOF for our NOCs.
Preparations are progressing extremely well for the Games of the Small States of Europe in Andorra from 26-31 May. We are proud that this unique event continues to grow from strength to strength offering valuable opportunities for NOCs from some of our smaller countries to compete on a more equal playing field, supporting the growth and development of their athletes.
For the first time, this year’s edition will be broadcast live on the EOC Channel, in collaboration with ANOC TV. This enhanced visibility will make the GSSE more accessible than ever and ensure greater exposure for participating athletes and NOCs.
May also marks our first official meeting of the new EOC Executive Committee which was elected in Frankfurt. We have much to discuss, and this will be an extremely important moment to lay the foundations for working collectively to build on the recent success enjoyed by the EOC.
The EOC continues to play an increasingly influential role within the global sporting ecosystem. I was delighted to attend the EU Sport Forum in Kraków in April, where I enjoyed a very productive meeting with the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef. Commissioner Micallef is a strong advocate of European sport, and we are excited to work even more closely with the European Commission in the future.
Thank you for your continued support of the EOC’s activities.
With EurOlympic regards,
President Spyros Capralos
