European Youth Olympic Festivals

The European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOF) are multi-sport events held under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee and the European Olympic Committees (EOC), with the participation of all European countries.

The nomination and selection of the host city for the Festival follows the same procedure as that established for the Olympic Games. Cities wishing to host the Festival submit their bids in advance. The EOC Commission evaluates them and conducts visits to the candidate cities. The final decision is taken at the EOC General Assembly five years before the Festival takes place.

Competitions are held in odd-numbered years for winter and summer sports and are governed by the EYOF Charter, which was approved by the General Assembly (EOC) on 13 December 2003.
The age of participants ranges from 13 to 17 years, depending on the sport.

It should be noted that the word ‘Olympic’ in the Festival’s name is no coincidence. All the attributes and rituals of the event fully correspond to the ‘senior’ Olympic Games.

Participants are accommodated in the Olympic Village, which must accommodate 3,300 people (including officials) for summer festivals and 1,300 people for winter festivals.

The opening ceremony, which is usually attended by the IOC President, includes a parade of participants. As at the Olympic Games, the delegations march in alphabetical order of the participating countries’ languages, with the exception of Greece, which leads the parade, and the Festival hosts, who bring up the rear.

During the performance of the Olympic anthem, the Olympic flag is carried into the stadium and raised, the Olympic flame is lit, which burns throughout the entire competition period, and an athlete and a judge from the host country take the Olympic oath. An Olympic torch relay is also held. The flame is lit in Greece and then carried through the country hosting the Festival.

During the medal ceremony, the national flags are raised in honour of the medallists and the national anthem is played in honour of the winner.

Doping controls are also carried out on participants during the European Youth Olympic Festivals.

The Festival is not only of sporting significance but also plays a significant role in the education and socialisation of young people through sport; through it, the Olympic ideals are promoted and the Olympic movement and a healthy lifestyle are encouraged.