The best young athletes from across the continent are gathering in Baku, Azerbaijan for a chance to win gold at the 15^th European Youth Olympic Festival from 21-27 July.

Some 3,600 athletes and team officials from 48 European National Olympic Committees are expected to take part in the 10-sport event, assisted by 3,500 volunteers.

The athletes, ages 14 to 18, will go head to head in athletics, basketball, cycling, gymnastics artistic, handball, judo, swimming, tennis, volleyball and – for the first time at an EYOF – wrestling.

Baku successfully organised the first edition of the European Games in 2015 and is now an experienced host of major sporting events, having also welcomed the Islamic Solidarity Games in 2017 and, annually since 2016, the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, among others. As a result, the 12 competition venues for the EYOF were already existing, making this edition one of the most sustainable in the EYOF’s 25-year history.

“We are excited to be back in Azerbaijan and Baku for 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival,” said European Olympic Committees (EOC) President Janez Kocijančič. “Not only does the city possess all the infrastructure necessary to hold an event of this magnitude, it also has other key ingredients for success, namely organisational knowhow, passion, and friendliness. We look forward to a celebration of our European youth in the week ahead and are confident these EYOF will be a great success.”

On behalf of the Organising Committee, Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan Azad Rahimov said: “We are excited to welcome athletes to Baku for the XV European Youth Olympic Festival. Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, once again hosts a big international sport event and with all the competition venues and Athletes Village prepared for the Festival, the city is ready to greet its guests. We firmly believe that these 7 days will give athletes and sport fans long-lasting memories of the Festival. We are all looking forward to seeing a fair and interesting competition.”

The city is ready to welcome the influx of visitors from across Europe, and to make life easier on everyone attending the event, anyone with a ticket or accreditation will have access to free public transportation during the period of the Games.

In a first for the EOC, a number of events will be live streamed via a dedicated EOC channel accessible on the EOC website here: https://www.eurolympic.org/eoc-channel/

The EYOF were started by the EOC in 1991. They began with a summer edition in Brussels followed two years later by the first winter edition in Aosta, Italy. Both are now on their 15^th edition, with the 14^th winter EYOF taking place earlier this year in Sarajevo & East Sarajevo.

So far, 25 countries around the continent have hosted at least one edition of the EYOF, which is seen as a gateway to the Olympic Games, with many EYOF medallists going on to compete at the Youth Olympic Games and Olympic Games. Olympic champions who cut their teeth at the EYOF include athletics stars Carolina Kluft (SWE) and Gabriela Szabo (RUO) and figure skater Evgeny Plushenko (RUS), among many others.

The EYOF gives top young athletes a first taste of what an Olympic event is like, at the same time teaching the values and ideals embodied in the Olympic Charter while motivating and encouraging young people to practice sport and adopt healthy lifestyles.