The 26 July 2023 marks one year to go until the Olympic Games Paris 2024, seeing the Games return to Europe for the first time since 2012.
The anniversary comes in the middle of the 17th edition of the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival Maribor 2023, where potential future Olympians are competing against their peers in 11 sports disciplines.
Since the first edition was held in Brussels, Belgium in 1991, 54 EYOF gold medallists have gone on to win gold medals at the Olympic Games, including 24 in summer disciplines, highlighting the European Olympic Committees’ commitment to giving the best young European athletes the chance to compete on an international stage early in their career.
Turkish swimmers Emir Batur Albayrak and Kuzey Tunçelli have already met the qualifying time for the men’s 1500m freestyle for Paris 2024, giving them the chance to be one of the two swimmers selected to compete for their country in this discipline next summer.
Emir won the boys’ 400m freestyle event on Monday, breaking the EYOF record in the process, and compatriot Kuzey was victorious in the 1500m event on Tuesday, also setting a new EYOF Record.
Focusing on his pride at representing Turkey, Emir said: “I am so happy to have won the gold medal for my country at the EYOF. Every time I represent Turkey, it gives me great pride. The support I receive from my teammates, family and friends is incredible and it means so much to me!
There will be a large number of former EYOF participants competing in Paris, many of whom will be expected to shine in a Games on their home continent.
18 of the 26 sports that featured on the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 programme will feature in Paris next summer. Of those 18 sports, 10 offered direct qualification to the Olympic Games via NOC quota spots and direct athlete qualification. In total, 56 athletes earned their Golden Tickets to Paris with their performances in sports such as boxing and modern pentathlon in Poland.
This included two pieces of Olympic history. In the new discipline of breaking, B-Girl India from the Netherlands and B-Boy Dany from France became the first athletes to ever qualify for the Olympic Games in their sport. Legendary Georgian shooter Nino Salukvadze claimed the solitary National Olympic Committee quota spot in the women’s 25 metre pistol, which means she is set to make history in France if selected, as the first female Olympian to compete in 10 Olympic Games.
EOC President Spyros Capralos travelled from Maribor to Paris to mark the year-to-go celebrations and commented on his pride at seeing athletes qualify through EOC events, as well as his excitement ahead of the Olympic Games.
He said: “The European Olympic Family are all excited as we mark one year to go until the Olympic Games returns to our continent for the first time in 12 years at Paris 2024.
“For many of the Europeans competing next summer, their first international multi-sport event will have been an EYOF. It gives me great pride to see those athletes go on to such great success, and to watch the next generation of stars compete in Maribor this week.
“At Krakow-Malopolska, we saw the emotions of athletes as they achieved qualification in the different sports and this was one of the big success stories from the Games.
“The EOC is committed to giving our European athletes the best chance to succeed and that will continue at future EYOFs and European Games.”
