Flame of peace for the EYOF 2022 already in Banská Bystrica, a pilgrimage awaits all regions of Slovakia

Flame of peace for the European Youth Olympic Festival EYOF 2022 (24-30 July) has already arrived in Slovakia. It was ceremoniously ignited in Rome on Monday evening. After a 14-hour journey from the Italian capital and the headquarters of the European Olympic Committees, it arrived at the EYOF venue in Banská Bystrica on Wednesday morning.

Flame of peace for the EYOF was sent on a pilgrimage across Slovakia by Danka Barteková

The bronze Olympic medallist in shooting Danka Barteková arrived with a fire of peace directly from Rome. “The ceremony was very moving and I really enjoyed it. I feel very proud that we were able to bring a flame that was ignited near the altar of Ara Pacis in Rome to Slovakia and it aims to please children and all sports fans in our country. The journey home with a torch was also a great experience for me. We had a few stops on iconic places; we had a lot of fun with the whole team. I am glad that I was a real part of the team, we were able to spread the joy directly from the trip on the social networks and enjoy every kilometre of returning home,” said our successful sports shooter, who is also an EYOF ambassador. “I feel very proud that the torch came to Slovakia. I firmly believe that it will ignite a love of sport in all of us and remind us what important values ​​for life we ​​can learn thanks to it. I think this is a very important moment for the young generation of Slovak children.”

Besides Danka Barteková, the representative of athletes, the talented volleyball player Alexandra Fričová and the volunteer Tomáš Kubica also brought the Peace Fire for the EYOF 2022 to Banská Bystrica. “It was an unforgettable experience, something that never has to happen in my life again. Thank you for taking me in such a pleasant company, I am full of new experiences and meetings with interesting people, we experienced a beautiful program with a ceremony that left me with a very positive feeling,” said one of the pillars of our volleyball team Alexandra Fričová.

A torch with a fire goes on a pilgrimage through Slovakia

On Wednesday, in the Park under the SNP memorial, the fire was sent on a pilgrimage to Slovak towns and villages during a special ceremony on the occasion of the Olympic Day. It will arrive at the venue again on 24 July 2022, when the Banská Bystrica EYOF officially begins. “The European Youth Olympic Festival will be held in the spirit of Olympic values, which are the fair play, friendship, uniqueness and respect, which we want to declare with this event to celebrate Olympics and Children’s Day,” said the EYOF Banská Bystrica 2022 director Peter Hamaj.

“We support the idea of the EYOF to prepare young promising athletes for their successful sports careers. This event can be a crucial entry into the “big” sports world. We at Motor-Car want to help them on this journey. That is why we have decided to support not only the journey of the Olympic flame, where we are a proud partner, but also this whole multi-sporting event,” explains Juraj Mačik, Marketing Director of the Motor-Car Group.

Olympic Children’s Day and ICHD

Wednesday, 1 June is not only the International Children’s Day, but also the Olympic Children’s Day. On the occasion of the EYOF Banská Bystrica 2022, the organisers in cooperation with the city of Banská Bystrica and SOŠV prepared a rich program. Children could enjoy the Olympic Day Run; they warmed up with the six-time Olympic medallist, a biathlon representative Nastya Kuzmina. They could try different sports. In the main program, the youngest could look forward to the Tale of the Dragon Gostir and the Princess, or Fiha Tralala. At the end, the pop band Desmod performed with its singer Mário “Kuly” Kollár. “The time until the EYOF 2022 is short so we have decided that this year’s International Children’s Day will be held in a sporting spirit. Sport is an important part of life. I am glad that despite the fact that we live in a modern age full of technology, sports activities are still attractive for children. I believe that the ICHD celebrations were enjoyed mainly by the youngest Banská Bystrica inhabitants, but also primary school students and high school students,” says Ján Nosko, the mayor of the city and president of the EYOF 2022 organising committee.