Erzurum 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF)
Erzurum will host the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in February 2017.
The event, which is organised every two years, will take place between 11-18 February. Athletes aged between 14-17 from 40 European countries will take part. For many it will be their first tast of a continental competition. The EYOF is an important competition for European countries looking to identify young talent which could eventually compete at future Olympic Games.
In recent years, Erzurum has earned itself a reputation as a top destination for winter sports after successfully hosting a number of international sporting events.
In total, athletes will compete in 21 disciplines from 9 different sports. These included alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, curling, figure skating, ice hockey, speed skating, ski jumping and snowboard.
In a show of cooperation, the city of Erzurum agreed to host the 2017 Winter EYOF two years ahead of schedule after the Bosnia and Herzegovina National Olympic Committee expressed concerns over whether they could deliver the Games in time to the European Olympic Committees.
Brief History of EYOF
Held in the winter and summer biennially, in odd years, the European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOF) are organized by the European Olympic Committees (EOC), The exclusive rights to the event belongs to the EOC. The first summer EYOF was held in Brussels in 1991 and a winter edition, two years later in Aosta. Liechtenstein and Austria jointly hosted the last winter Festival in 2015. Turkey participated in this festival with 29 athletes including 12 girls and 17 boys.
Practical Information about Erzurum 2017 Winter EYOF
- 6 days of competition
- 330 girls and 502 boys will compete in 9 Olympic sports
- 1372 participants will attend the EYOF including 832 athletes, 394 coaches and service personnel, 38 team chiefs, 88 general managers and 20 media representatives.
You may visit
Erzurum 2017 website for more information.