The day of Wednesday March 4 is marked with a white stone in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, host city of the first edition of the European Games. The countdown shows 100 days before the start of the continental event, scheduled for June 12 to 28, 2015. The opportunity to FrancsJeux to question Patrick Hickey, president of the Association of European Olympic Committees (EOC), and member of the IOC, on the preparation of the Games, their promotion and the future of the event.
FrancsJeux: 100 days before the opening ceremony of the first European Games, what does the preparation for the event inspire you?
Patrick Hickey: I am amazed by the speed at which everything was built, prepared and organized in Baku. All the indicators are green. We are perfectly on schedule, at every level. The quality of the work carried out in Baku can really serve as an example to follow for future organizers.
At this stage of preparation, have you identified a sector where the organizers need to step up the pace?
Honestly, no. For more than two years, we have been following the preparations for these first Games very closely. Today, I see no cause for concern about readiness.
The organizing committee has already announced the signing of contracts to broadcast the Games in more than 50 countries. How do you explain that an event that has never taken place before was able to convince channels, not only in Europe, but also in Asia and the United States?
I believe that the concept of these European Games, the first of their kind, with around twenty Olympic or non-Olympic sports, arouses the curiosity of broadcasters. It is not usual. There is a certain anticipation surrounding this event. In addition to this, work was particularly well done on promoting the Games to broadcasters. It was not easy, because we initially encountered real skepticism, particularly in Europe. It took convincing. But I am very happy with the result. We should be able to announce, in the coming days, five new broadcasting agreements with foreign channels.
The 2015 European Judo Championships will finally take place as part of the European Games. How will the two competitions coexist?
We knew, from the start of the preparation for the Games, that it would be difficult for us to attract the best judokas to Baku because of the competition from the European Championships. I was all the more disappointed as I myself come from this sport. But the organizing committee for the European Championships in Glasgow experienced difficulties, to the point of no longer being able to host the event. We were able to be flexible enough to pick it up in Baku. We proposed a formula that suits everyone. The marketing agreements are not the same between the European Championships and the European Games, but we have provided financial compensation for the European Judo Union, in order to compensate it for the shortfall.
At a time when the IOC Agenda 2020 insists on cost reduction, are the Azerbaijani authorities not spending too much money to organize these European Games?
I don't see things that way. For Azerbaijan, the European Games must constitute a legacy in the perspective of other major sporting events. The Olympic Games, in particular. Baku has already been a candidate, without success. She will be again. Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, explained that a city having organized the European Games would have the capacity to host the Summer Games. Azerbaijan is part of this logic. The country will have the infrastructure. And it will be able to count on staff trained in the organization of major events.
Despite everything, isn’t Azerbaijan setting the bar too high?
From the start, we made it clear that the European Games had to be flexible. The event must adapt to the city that hosts it, and not the opposite. The next edition may be completely different, much less expensive, in a city where the facilities already exist.
What does the future of the event look like, with a second edition planned for 2019?
We have identified six candidate cities. We will not disclose their identity, although the name Amsterdam was recently mentioned in the media. The decision on the host city for the 2019 Games will be made at the EOC Extraordinary General Assembly on May 18, Belek, Turkey. We will then have to choose between two or three cities, probably more likely two. But there will be no vote. And we don't want to communicate about the cities in the race, so that they don't have to spend money on promotion. It will be the same for the third edition of the European Games.
Will the Games program be determined at the same time as the choice of host city?
No. We will discuss the different possible options, establishing a preliminary list. But, I repeat, the Games must adapt to the city that organizes them. For 2019, the program will be determined with the future organizers. It will take into account their wishes and the specificities of the country.
