Turkey will host the 2019 Winter European Youth Olympic Festival, or EYOF, the European Olympic Committee announced in Baku Saturday.
The 43rd general assembly of the committee decided that Turkey’s Erzurum province will host the event. Erzurum has hosted several winter sports events in the past, including the 2011 Winter Universiade.
International Olympic Committee board member and Turkish National Olympic Committee President Prof. Dr. Ugur Erdener said Turkey aimed to use the premises constructed for the 2011 Winter Universiade for the 2019 international event.
Many of the facilities from the 2011 Winter Universiade are still in place and will form part of the city's bid for the 2019 EYOF, including sports facilities and dormitories at the Atatürk University, one of the largest in Turkey with more than 40,000 students.
The City of Erzurum is situated over 1,900 metres above sea level and is surrounded by the Palandöken Mountain range.
Erzurum has also hosted the International Ski Federation, or FIS, Junior Nordic World Ski Championships in 2012 and the FIS Snowboard Junior World Ski Championships in 2013.
"People of Erzurum will feel extremely pleased to host the athletes from Europe once again in 2019," Erdener said.
The EYOF is held every two years and provides an opportunity for young athletes aged between 14 and 18-years-old to take part in multi-sport competition.
He added that 40 percent of Turkey’s population was made up of youngsters under the age of 25.
Mayor Mehmet Sekmen said Erzurum was proud at getting selected to host the event. "We can’t wait to host our guests at our top level sports premises in 2019," Sekmen said.
Almost 1,600 athletes are expected to attend the Winter EYOF, which is regarded as one of the most important sports events in Europe. The games will be held between Feb. 9 and 16, 2019.
Erzurum is located in eastern Turkey, which is surrounded by the Palandoken Mountain. It has the finest winter sports facilities in Turkey, including Alpine skiing, snowboarding, biathlon, cross-country, ski jumping and speed skating.
