Dear Colleagues,
Dear Friends,
I hope your New Year has begun with renewed energy and ambition, as we look forward to an exciting period ahead for European sport.
Much of your focus will be on the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, which begin later this week. After the huge success of Paris 2024, we are looking forward to another Games which showcases the best of European sport in front of passionate crowds and inspire the next generation across our continent.
Europe has dominated recent editions of the Olympic Winter Games, winning nearly 70% of the available medals at Beijing 2022, and we are looking forward to seeing our athletes excel in Italy.
We eagerly anticipate watching more than 20 finalists of the EOC’s Piotr Nurowski Prize for the Best Young European Athlete compete at the highest level in Milano Cortina 2026, and we will be especially following this next exciting chapter in their careers.
January was an important month for the EOC, as the Coordination Commission for the 2027 European Games, chaired by the EOC Executive Committee member and Romania NOC President Mihai Covaliu, successfully concluded its first visit to Istanbul.
Representatives from the Turkish Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the NOC of Türkiye and the Istanbul 2027 Organising Committee provided encouraging updates on preparations for the European Games.
There is still much work to do together, the visit reinforced our confidence in moving forward with a great spirit of collaboration with our partners in Türkiye to deliver a memorable fourth edition of Europe’s premier multi-sport event.
We know that our NOCs are awaiting confirmation of many of the details for Istanbul 2027, including the sports programme. We aim to confirm the full programme in the coming months, as well as the dates for the Chef de Mission Seminar.
It was also good to have the opportunity to meet with the Prime Minister of Romania Ilie Bolojan and Deputy Prime Minister Tánczos Barna at Victoria Palace in Bucharest.
They are great supporters of sport in Romania, and we are delighted to have a trusted partner to deliver the 2027 Winter European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Brașov.
The EYOF remains the start of Olympic dreams for thousands of young athletes, many of whom will compete at Milano Cortina 2026. I am sure next year in Brașov, we will witness the birth of more future Olympic legends.
On behalf of the EOC, I wish you well for your final preparations for the Olympic Winter Games, and hope to see many of you there!
As we gather in Milano Cortina, let us celebrate the achievements of our athletes, and the enduring Olympic values that unite us and inspire millions across Europe and beyond.
Thank you for your continued dedication and support.
With EurOlympic regards,
Spyros Capralos
EOC President
