The European Games have not yet had their first edition. But the second already knows her host country. Meeting in an extraordinary general assembly in Belek, Turkey, the Association of European Olympic Committees (EOC) outlined the medium-term future of the event. Its 50 member countries unanimously designated the Netherlands to organize the Games in 2019.
Patrick Hickey, the president of the EOC, has often repeated: there is no question of the European Games giving themselves the appearance of a small Olympic Games by organizing a long and costly application process with great fanfare. Before opting for the Dutch file, the EOC confidentially received half a dozen letters of intent. She made no publicity about it. And did not wish to reveal the names of the countries, or cities, interested in the 2019 edition.
We just know that the competition was quickly reduced to a single competitor: the Dutch Olympic Committee. In Belek last week, his file was the only one in the running. He was chosen “unanimously” explained Patrick Hickey. Normal. It was generally agreed that it best fit the vision that the European Olympic committees have of their event. Which? Difficult to answer with such a taste for secrecy.
One thing is certain: the 2019 European Games will bear little resemblance to the 2015 edition, scheduled for June 12 to 28 in Baku. The Dutch make no secret of it: their competition will be spread across the entire country. It could be held in nine different cities, Amsterdam being content with the ceremonies, opening and closing, and athletics. In Azerbaijan, next month the entire event will take place in the capital.
In the Netherlands, the bid team is announcing low-cost Games, without any new construction. She warns that the athletes will not be grouped together in a single village, but housed in different conditions from one city to another. In Azerbaijan, the country gave the 2015 European Games a dimension and decor worthy of the Olympic Games, with a brand new athletes' village, aquatic center and athletics stadium.
In 2019, the European Games could, according to initial estimates, involve 12 to 15 sports. In Baku, the program will include 20.
Obviously, the EOC and its president, Patrick Hickey, are betting on an event with variable geometry, whose format, spirit and even atmosphere could change from one edition to another depending on the designated country. Azerbaijan has thought very big, without sparing expense. Perfect. The Netherlands plans to scale back, spending little, at the risk of breaking up the Games across the entire country. Why not.
However, the decor still seems vague. In Belek, the 50 European Olympic committees have certainly chosen the Netherlands, but the mass is still far from being said. “We will now continue discussions with the Dutch Olympic Committee,” said Patrick Hickey. In short, try to fill in the still numerous blanks in the winning file.
To date, the Dutch government has still not officially given its support to the 2019 European Games project. The financial guarantees have not been specified in black and white either. And, more curious, none of the nine cities supposed to host events assured the national Olympic committee of its contribution to the budget for the event. All these gray areas did not stop Patrick Hickey and the European committees from choosing the Netherlands as one. Good or bad sign? Response in the coming months.
