The 25th anniversary of the European Youth Olympic Festival was celebrated at the 45th EOC General Assembly with an exhibition staged at the NOC of Belarus Headquarters and the presence of some medallists who were able to win a gold both at EYOF and Olympic Games.

The European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) is the top multisport event for young European athletes between the ages of 14 and 18, first launched in 1991 by Belgian Jacques Rogge, at the time President of the European Association.
Since then the EOC have organised on odd years a summer and a winter event, which offer young athletes their first Olympic experience, and a springboard for future sports stars. Approximately 3,600 participants take part in the summer Festivals, whilst at the winter Festivals there are around 1,600 participants.

Some twenty athletes who won a gold medal at the Olympic Games started their sport career at the EYOF.
In representation of these champions, two of them joined the EOC General Assembly in Minsk and were warmly honoured, they were: Russian gymnast Elena Mikhailovna Zamolodchikova and Greek Judoka Ilias Iliadis. Two very special life and sport experiences that started with an EYOF.

Elena began sport at the age of six and enjoyed a long and successful career lasting over 20 years. With amazing acrobatics, including her trademark double-twisting double-back somersault on floor exercise, “ Zamo” always provided a welcome burst of energy to her team.
At 15 she won a Gold Medal at the Summer EYOF Lisbon in 1997.
At 17 she made her World Championships debut in 1999 in Tianjin, China, and won a gold medal in the vault, and a silver with her team.
She did even better at the Sydney Olympics the following year, winning gold medals on vault and floor exercise, and the team silver.
Zamolodchikova continued to contribute to the Russian team, winning the vault at the 2003 Anaheim World Championships, and the team bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
She was 26 years old at her final competition in 2009, at the University Games in Belgrade, where Russia placed 2nd as a team. Even after she retired in 2009, she remained in sport, working as a coach for beginner gymnasts in Moscow. And travelling the world as an FIG Brevet accredited international judge.
Elena Zamolodchikova joined the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2015.

Ilias was born Jarji Zviadauri in Akhmeta, Georgia.
He competed at the Murcia 2001 Summer EYOF where he won a medal in judo.
His family moved to Greece in the 2003. He was then adopted by his personal coach, Nikos Iliadis, and took Greek nationality, starting his international career under his new name.
He won a gold medal in the half-middleweight (81 kg) division at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens when 17. Ilias also won a gold medal 6 years later at the 2010 World Judo Championships in Tokyo in the −90 kg category.
As Greece’s flag bearer, he had the honour of being the first athlete to march into the Bird’s Nest Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
After the Rio Olympics he announced his retirement from the sport.