• Athletes to benefit from media rights innovation
• Responsible, regional venue concept marks the start of a new era

The third edition of the European Games will be officially opened this evening by Andrzej Duda, President of the Polish Republic, during a spectacular Opening Ceremony at the Henryk Reyman Stadium in Krakow.

The lighting of the Cauldron will mark the start of 11 days of competition, with almost 7,000 athletes from 48 countries – and a first-ever EOC Refugee Team – set to compete in 26 sports, including 18 Olympic sports. Qualification to Paris 2024 is at stake in more than half the sports on the Olympic programme.

The Games, which are taking place in a member country of the European Union for the first time, will be the biggest sport event ever hosted in Poland – and the biggest multi-sport competition in the continent since the Olympic Games London 2012.

Competition will take place across 13 towns and cities in the Malopolska region – from Krakow to the Tatra mountains – as part of a no-build hosting concept that will pave the way for a new era of responsible major sports events, including the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Milano-Cortina 2026 and Los Angeles 2028.

A Games of firsts

Krakow-Malopolska 2023 will continue the European Games’ tradition of driving innovation for the Olympic Movement.

For the first time, athletes will be given access to personalized highlight clips of the competitions, for posting directly to social media from the official Games mobile application (download the app from APPLE STORE – GOOGLE PLAY)

National Olympic Committees will also be offered unprecedented rights to highlight footage in a landmark development enabled by EOC technology partner Atos and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The EBU is broadcasting the European Games for the first time under a groundbreaking rights agreement that will see free-to-air coverage provided over 40 territories spanning two continents, with more than 1,000 hours of linear TV coverage expected to be aired. Comprehensive streaming coverage is available in every European territory.

Other examples of digital innovation include a pilot project seeking to create new value for athletes at future editions of the Games through Blockchain-based NFT medals.

A pioneering sports programme

Meanwhile, the sports programme of the Games again features new sports, with padel, teqball, muaythai, kickboxing, beach handball, rugby sevens, summer ski jumping and breaking all making their first appearance in Europe’s leading multi-sport event.

In addition, Esports will be present for the first time, with the European Esports Championships taking place as an official side event in Katowice from 30 June to 2 July 2023. E-sport competitions will be live streamed on the eoctv.org

In Chorzow, Silesia, Athletics will also return to the European Games in a new and significantly strengthened format. Competitors from 48 countries will compete across three divisions of the European Team Championship. In total, 16 reigning individual champions in athletics will be present on the start lists.

EOC President Spyros Capralos said: “Since their inception, the European Games have always sought to break new ground – not simply for the sake of being new and innovative, but with the aim of creating more value for our European athletes and National Olympic Committees, along with a stronger, sport-focused legacy for our host communities.

“The European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 will undoubtedly be the biggest and best edition yet, in part thanks to the support of our partners in helping us to reach new audiences in their homes and through their personal devices.”