EYOF 2023: What is the European Youth Olympic Festival?

This week the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) takes place in the Slovenian city of Maribor.

The festival, between 23-29 July, gives teenage athletes from 48 countries the opportunity to come together and compete across 11 different sports.

The EYOF has been running for the past 30 years and 2023 marks the 17th edition of the games.

Organisers describe the festival as the largest multi-disciplinary sports event for young athletes between the ages of 14 and 18.

Normally about 50 countries across the European continent participate in the summer version of the games with roughly 3,600 young people taking part.

The winter version of the event is much smaller with some 1,600 participants, and took place in January this year hosted by the Italian northeastern region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The festival is biennial - meaning it takes place every other year.

Although the EYOF isn't as big as the Olympics or Commonwealth Games it does have many similar elements.

Before the 2023 games began the torch of peace - similar to the Olympic flame - travelled around Slovenia, and visited 18 primary schools in Maribor.

The games also has its own opening ceremony, which took place on Monday evening, as well as its own mascot, called Foksi, who is also the official mascot of the Slovenian Olympic Committee.

The festival is seen as a key event in youth sport, with many athletes going on to compete in the European Games and Olympic Games - including many from the British team.

Athlete Dina Asher-Smith, gymnast Nile Wilson, swimmer Duncan Scott, and cyclist Tom Pidcock are amongst those who have gone from the EYOF podium to medal success at the Olympics.

Chloe Link, who will be competing in judo this year, is hoping to follow in their footsteps.

She said: "As soon as I heard that the European Youth Olympics were an option, my goal was immediately set on it.

"I want to put in a good performance, to win all of my fights and really soak up the experience, as it will give me a good feel for the senior Olympics for when I'm older."

Swimming, judo, tennis, volleyball, sports gymnastics, athletics, road cycling and handball all feature on the programme.

There are also three new sports joining the competition for the first time - skateboarding, mountain biking, and 3x3 basketball.

Team GB is sending 39 athletes in five sports: artistic gymnastics, judo, mountain bike, road cycling and swimming.

At last summer's EYOF in Banská Bystrica in 2022, which was rescheduled to avoid a clash with the Olympic Games, the team claimed fourth place in the medal table with a total of 18 medals, including seven golds.

Georgina Harland, MBE, Team GB's Chef de Mission, said: "Being selected to represent Team GB is a very special moment, and I am sure that the 39 young athletes selected to take part in this summer's EYOF will grab this exciting opportunity and use it as an important steppingstone in their future sporting careers.

Gymnastics is often one of the most popular spectator sports, and this year the competition looks to be fierce with a host of junior European medallists from nine different countries all taking part.

Ellie Lewis, artistic gymnastics said: "To be selected to be part of Team GB feels so unreal at the moment."

She added: "I have worked so hard with my coaches transferring up to junior level and to have our efforts come to this selection is a really proud moment."

Some of the athletes - like mountain biker Evie Strachan - are taking part for the first time.

Evie said: "I'm super excited to be attending EYOF and to have been given the opportunity to represent GB and be a part of the team.

"I think it will be a great experience to be part of the Team GB and to also race at a higher level abroad for the first time. It's hard to put my excitement into words if I'm honest!"

Others like swimmer Phoebe Cooper have taken part in past games, and have been reflecting on the previous competitions.

She said: "It's great to be part of the EYOF team again - last year was an amazing competition. We really bonded as a team and this made you feel that Team GB was behind you.

"I'm really looking forward to this year's event, as I can build on my previous experience. I hope the whole team can thrive at the competition."