The EOC took centre stage at the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) Sports Assembly in Athens, where EOC CEO Dr. Jan Lehmann presented the vision for the European Games 2027 to senior representatives of Europe’s public service broadcasters.
The EOC set out the scale and significance of Istanbul 2027 on the road to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 to the continent’s leading media organisations.
Hosted by Greek public broadcaster ERT and gathering the EBU Sport community over three days from 21 to 23 April, the Assembly brought together the executives who shape how major sport reaches audiences across the continent. Dr. Lehmann’s address, delivered in the Assembly’s open session, placed the next European Games firmly within the wider Olympic story — and underlined the central role broadcasters will play in carrying it to European homes.
The EBU is the broadcast partner for the European Games, and its free-to-air member network offers the broad European reach that gives the event its continental footprint. With the EBU also central to the broadcast of the Olympic Games 2028, Istanbul 2027 represents a shared milestone on the road to Los Angeles — a point reinforced throughout the Assembly’s discussions on Olympic coverage and acquisitions.
Speaking on the significance of the moment, Dr. Lehmann said:
“The European Games are Europe’s road to LA28 one year before the Games themselves. In Istanbul, with our broadcast partners alongside us, we have the chance to bring that story to every corner of the continent — and to show the world that Europe is truly united by sport.”
The EOC’s appearance in Athens forms part of an ongoing collaboration with the EBU and its members as preparations for Istanbul 2027 accelerate, ensuring that Europe’s biggest sport event reaches the widest possible audience.
