The 13^th Winter European Youth Olympic festival opened on Sunday night with a joyful ceremony held in Erzurum Kazim Karabekir Stadium full of spectators of all ages.

Erzurum children’s choir,  historical trip from Greece to Turkey, and the traditional and always most cheered athletes parade started  an impressive evening in the presence of  Youth and Sports Minister Akif Çağatay Kilic, Minister of Health Recep Akdag ,  EOC Acting President Janez Kocijancic and Turkish National Olympic Committee Vice President, as well as many VIP from the Turkish and sports world.

 From today to next Friday, 650 young athletes aged between 14 and 18 from 34 participating countries will compete for medals in nine sports during intense yet friendly competition.

200 local and foreign press members were accredited by the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival and close to 150 journalists supported the EYOF from the press trib.

Olympic Channel is broadcasting the event to a worldwide audience on its digital platform via olympicchannel.com and its mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.

The Olympic Channel’s coverage began with a live broadcast of the Opening Ceremony. It will continue throughout next week with daily live coverage and 20-minute highlights packages in high-definition.

In addition to olympicchannel.com, the Olympic Channel’s coverage of Erzurum 2017 will also be available via the EYOF 2017 Erzurum website and Youtube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7DhudT1tteIreuk_fVmPA

Ahead of Sunday’s Opening Ceremony, the EOC acting President Janez Kocijančič, has praised the competitive and collaborative spirit which defines the EYOF experience for the young athletes involved.

Kocijančič said:

“Many of the young athletes competing in Erzurum will have ambitions of reaching the Olympic Games and being able to make a living from their sport. The Winter EYOF is a great first step for them on this journey. But it is also a tremendous life experience in its own right and I am sure that every athlete, no matter what result they achieve, will leave with a thousand positive memories of participating in this Winter EYOF in Turkey.”

Turkish Olympic Committee President Professor, Dr Uğur Erdener, said:

“Multi-sport events which bring a continent together, such as the Winter EYOF, have a special atmosphere which touches everyone involved.

“The Organising Committee have worked incredibly hard to prepare Erzurum for hosting this event two years ahead of the original plan to host the event in 2019.”