Georgia hosts 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival in July

Georgia will host the 2015 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) from July 25 to August 1, 2015. This is the first time that the 6-day competition format will be held in Tbilisi, and it’s the first time that a post-Soviet country has hosted the event.

EYOF is the premium event for young athletes aged from 14 to 18 years. The festival is organized on behalf of the European Olympic Committee (EOC) under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Like the Olympic Games, the EYOF is held in both summer and winter, every two years, but in odd years (the Olympic Games are held in even years). Like the Olympic Games, the EYOF includes an Olympic flame, opening and closing ceremonies, national anthems, and the raising of country flags during the medal presentations.

The torch relay around the country includes 700 torch bearers from 67 Georgian cities.

The program includes 9 sporting events: judo, tennis, gymnastics, cycling, athletics, swimming, volleyball, handball, and basketball. Over 3,800 athletes from 50 European countries will arrive in Tbilisi to compete in 11 competition venues. All venues in Tbilisi were purpose built. These include the Handball Palace and Mziuri Tennis Courts.

Georgia has included an official mascot called PEAKY, representing peak and youth. It is a pheasant, representing speed and agility, from the Kolkheti region, symbolic of the legend which gave Tbilisi its name. King Vakhtang I Gorgasali of Georgia hunted and shot a falcon that had injured a pheasant. Both birds fell into the hot springs. The king built a city near the hot springs in Eastern Georgia (Iberia) and named it Tbilisi, meaning warm place.

Georgian athletes hope to do well overall, but especially in judo, track events, gymnastics, and tennis. At the previous EYOF, held in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the top five medal countries were: Russia, Great Britain, France, Hungary, and Italy. Out of the 38 medal-winning countries in Utrecht, Georgia finished in 13th place with 8 medals – 2 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze.

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