The EOC’s 50th anniversary is a great celebration not only for the organisation itself but also for the European Olympic community as a whole. Lithuanian NOC President, IOC Member and EOC Executive Committee Member Daina Gudzinevičiūtė singles out the first European Games in Baku in 2015 as one of sporting highlights for Europe over the last 50 years.

For many years there was a great desire for an event that could give the continent’s best athletes the opportunity to gather and compete. The European Games received great coverage in Lithuania, while its athletes repaid the fans back home for their support by winning 7 medals. Not only was it one of the most amazing events Gudzinevičiūtė participated in, she says, it was also the start of an important event that all of Europe looks forward to every four years.