Joseph Cassar believe in really fantastic EYOF 2022

At the EYOF below Urpín on July 24-30, 2022, approximately 3.600 members of the expeditions of individual countries are expected, along with representatives and officials of the National Olympic Committees and EOC, as well as other guests. The competition of multi-sport event will be held in eleven sectors. “Experience from the past and history only confirms that many of the EYOF participants later start at the Olympics and even become medallists. They are athletes of a very high level, they have experience from top international events in their category and some of them are even professionals. Therefore, it is also important for Banská Bystrica to offer the best possible conditions for athletes, well-prepared sports facilities with a well-prepared technical staff. This is the responsibility and commitment of the organising city. The organisers will also be assisted by individual European federations in the sports represented, which will send their people to assist and help them,” noted an experienced Maltese official Joseph Cassar.

Organisers do not have all the sports facilities ready yet. The athletics stadium has already been completed, but the Banská Bystrica winter stadium is being reconstructed, and the sports hall in Detva is also scheduled for its turn. “We are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed the games for a year. The projects are ready, now is the time to make a decision to start implementing the plans so that everything is ready in time. The time is flying faster and faster with the approaching date of the festival,” Cassar pointed out. The helping hands of volunteers, which should be more than 1200, should also contribute to the successful course of the games. “The organising committee is doing a good job in this regard. I am pleased that several hundred people of all ages have already signed up to be part of this important youth event, which only documents the willingness of people to help and gain an interesting experience. This is a very important area, as top sporting events would not be possible without volunteers who perform a great job.”

Great expectations in connection with the Banská Bystrica organisers are also an opportunity to present them in a positive light in front of the whole of Europe. Organising an event like EYOF also brings various benefits, including economic one. “The advantage of Banská Bystrica is that it will find its home in the local Sports Park in Štiavničky and will be the scene of competitions in up to six sports, which is fantastic. This eliminates traffic issues and contributes to the overall atmosphere of the event. Some sports will take place in other cities as well, but these are here in the surroundings, so it will be a short-distance move only,” added Joseph Cassar, to whom EYOF 2017 has so far been the most successful in neighbouring Hungary: “Every organising city is different and characteristic, but it was recently a really fantastic European Youth Olympic Festival in Győr.”