European Olympic Committees (EOC) Vice-President and IOC Member Daina Gudzinevičiūtė has been named an ambassador for the forthcoming UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship in Lithuania.
The eight-team competition is being held from 14 – 27 July this year, with hosts Lithuania in Group A alongside England, France and Serbia. Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain are in Group B.
Gudzinevičiūtė is also the President of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee and an Olympic shooting champion at Sydney 2000.
“Our Lithuanian national team will have a special opportunity to compete in front of their fans. I believe that the home crowds will inspire our footballers to participate in the European Championship. I agreed to become an ambassador of this Championship – it is especially important to support the young generation of female footballers, because they are not only our present but also our future,” she said.
“It will take place just before the most important sporting event of the year, the Olympic Games Paris 2024, when everyone’s heart will beat in unison to support our Olympians. Therefore, this European Women’s Football Championship in Lithuania is a great opportunity to show the unity of Lithuanians, when we come to the stadiums and cheer for our players wholeheartedly.”
The President of the Lithuanian Football Federation Edgaras Stankevičius asked Gudzinevičiūtė to become an ambassador for the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship.
Stankevičius said: “I am pleased that the Lithuanian sports community and sports policy organisations trust the Football Federation, that they visit our events more and more often, and that there is productive communication between the organisations, representatives and the pursuit of common interests.
“I personally contacted Daina Gudzinevičiūtė and asked her if she would be willing to become an ambassador for the event; she gladly accepted and we thank her sincerely. The new ambassador will attend our matches and contribute to communication, so we consider this a great achievement in the organisation of the Championship.”
Matches at the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship are taking place in Kaunas, Marijampolė and Jonava.
