The European Youth Olympic Festival, to be held from July 20 to 26, is the largest sporting event ever organized by our country, emphasized representatives of the European Youth Committees and the Macedonian Olympic Committee in front of the media.
In the lead-up to the biggest youth multisport event on the Old Continent, Skopje and Kumanovo are in the final phase of preparations for the European Youth Olympic Festival – EYOF Skopje 2025, which will take place from July 20 to 26 this year. On this occasion, the traditional Chefs de Mission seminar will be held on April 8 and 9 at the Holiday Inn hotel in Skopje, where representatives from 49 national delegations will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the organizational aspects of the festival, the sports and logistical infrastructure, and the host cities themselves.
As part of the activities related to the event, a press conference was held today, where the speakers included Daniel Dimevski – President of the Macedonian Olympic Committee (MOC), Peter Brull – Sports Director of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), and Lini Halldorsdottir – Chair of the EYOF Commission at the EOC. The attending media received an overview of the preparations so far, the expectations for the upcoming festival, and insight into the role of the Chefs de Mission seminar as a key milestone in the organization.
Daniel Dimevski, President of the Macedonian Olympic Committee, emphasized the importance of EYOF Skopje 2025 as the largest sporting event in Macedonia’s history and a crucial opportunity for the development of youth sport.
“This is an exceptionally large event – the biggest our country has ever organized. We expect nearly 4,000 participants, including athletes, coaches, officials, and logistical personnel. The full European youth sports elite will be present in Skopje and Kumanovo – young athletes who will become the biggest stars of the next Summer Olympic Games. Hosting such a festival is a true privilege, and we are especially proud that we managed to place Skopje on the map of Europe’s most important sports events. This is a unique opportunity to promote our country on a European level. On the sporting side, North Macedonia will be represented by around 200 young athletes, and as hosts, we are guaranteed participation in all sports disciplines. This allows us to take part even in sports that are only just beginning to develop in our country and to launch an entirely new generation of athletes aged 15 to 18 – a generation that will mature in the years to come. With this, we have a real chance to initiate a true restart of youth sport in our country,” said Dimevski.
Ahead of tomorrow’s Chefs de Mission seminar, Lini Halldorsdottir of the EOC highlighted the importance of EYOF 2025 for Europe and the challenges Skopje faces in organizing such a major multisport event.
“The European Youth Olympic Festival 2025 is an extremely important event for Europe. That is why tomorrow and the day after, representatives from 50 European countries will be in Skopje to attend the Chefs de Mission seminar and familiarize themselves with the organizational aspects of the festival, the sports venues, transportation, logistics capacities, and the host cities themselves. Organizing such a multisport event is a great challenge, and for Skopje, it’s an extra challenge in terms of time pressure, as the Skopje Olympic Committee joined only two years ago, when we organized EYOF 2023 in Maribor,” Halldorsdottir noted.
Peter Brull from the EOC emphasized the extraordinary value of EYOF 2025 as a stage for future Olympic stars and a major opportunity for Macedonian athletes to compete with Europe’s elite.
“In July, North Macedonia will welcome exceptionally talented young athletes. Based on experience from previous festivals, we know that those who win medals at EYOF often go on to become medal contenders at future Summer Olympics. This means we’ll be able to witness performances by the stars of tomorrow. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for Macedonian athletes to compete with the best, since normally participation in an event of this caliber requires qualification – which is not easy at all. Only by competing with the best can you grow,” Brull said.
In the run-up to the festival, Skopje will also host the major event “100 Days to EYOF”, which will take place at East Gate Mall on April 12 (Saturday). This event will also offer support to families affected by the tragedy in Kochani, while the sports-entertainment portion will include 3×3 basketball tournaments and a rich interactive program. It will be a great opportunity for young people to connect with the Olympic spirit and be part of the countdown to the start of the festival.
This summer, over 4,000 participants, including 900 volunteers, will take part in EYOF Skopje 2025. Competitions will be held in 15 sports: athletics, badminton, basketball, 3×3 basketball, canoe slalom, cycling, handball, judo, swimming, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, mountain biking, and gymnastics. During the festival, Skopje will host the majority of competitions, while Kumanovo will welcome cyclists and basketball players. The unique sports atmosphere will be enriched by gymnastics competitions held in Osijek, creating a truly Olympic environment across multiple locations.
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