Spyros Capralos (pictured above, with flag) spoke to the press for almost half an hour on Tuesday afternoon from Bakuriani, the host city of the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival (EYOF). The President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) welcomed the "the excellent start" of the EYOF in Georgia and the atmosphere there since the opening on Sunday 9 February. He announced that the EOC was ready to assign the organization of the next editions. Skopje (North Macedonia) will host the Summer EYOF in July. In 2027, the winter festival will take place in Brasov (Romania) and its summer version in Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy). And then? "For the winter edition in 2029, we received an expression of interest from the Czech Republic. From Germany too, but I think Germany would rather look towards 2031, he explains to FrancsJeux. For the summer editions 2029 and 2031, we have an interest of Belgium and Latvia. A wide range of NOCs are interested in organising these editions". Spyros Capralos thus underlined that hosting the EYOF represents a golden opportunity to consolidate or boost its infrastructures: “Developing a place like Bakuriani will allow to host World Cups and World Championships in the future. This puts Georgia on the winter sports map. I was here two years ago and saw a lot of new construction and new sports facilities. This means that more people will be able to enjoy winter sports and among them, especially the younger generation, some will become future elite athletes."
