2023 European Games

The 3rd European Games (Polish: III Igrzyska Europejskie, Igrzyska Europejskie 2023) is an international sporting event to be held in Kraków, Poland in 2023.[2]

Not to be confused with European Championships (multi-sport event).

III European Games
Host cityKraków, Poland
Nations participating50 (expected)
Events23 sports (expected)[1]
Opening ceremony9 June (expected)
Closing ceremony25 June (expected)
Main venueStadion Miejski

Host selection
Kraków was selected as the host city of the 2023 European Games

At the time of the 2015 European Games, the city of Manchester, United Kingdom expressed its wish to host the 2023 Games.[3][4] No further interest has been expressed since the 2018 European Championships were awarded to Glasgow, Scotland and the 2022 Commonwealth Games were awarded to Birmingham, England.

In May 2018, the European Olympic Committees (EOC) asserted that the bidding process for the 2023 Games would be open to joint bids from multiple countries.[5]

The EOC launched the bid process on 20 September 2018 after a meeting of the constituent National Olympic Committees in Stockholm.[6] Following the approval of the Bid Document, it was sent to the 50 NOCs in Europe alongside a letter from EOC President Janez Kocijančič inviting applications.[7] The application stage was set to close on 28 February 2019.[8]

In January 2019, Marcin Krupa, the mayor of Katowice, Poland, announced the city's interest hosting the Games, becoming the first candidate city.[9][10] Soon after, Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, Russia expressed its interest in hosting the 2023 Games and its intention to submit an application to the EOC.[11][12] Its bid would be made attractive by the fact the city built much sporting infrastructure when hosting the 2013 Summer Universiade and the 2015 FINA World Aquatics Championships and that a Russian bid has been supported by premier Vladimir Putin.[13][14]

In February 2019, the application deadline was extended by two months, until 30 April, due to "strong interest from across the continent".[15][16] In May 2019, after the extended deadline had passed, the EOC again postponed the deadline, this time until the 31 May.[17] No reason was given for the second extension.[17]

In May 2019, the Polish Olympic Committee announced that Kraków would replace Katowice as the Polish bid for the Games following the withdrawal of its bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics and the wane of interest in Katowice.[18] The same month, EOC President Janez Kocijančič reiterated his expectation that the host for the 2023 Games would be chosen before the start of the 2019 European Games in Minsk on the 21 June 2019.[19]

After the deadline for bid submission passed on the 31 May 2019, the European Olympic Committees confirmed that only one formal bid had been completed, that of Kraków in collaboration with the province Małopolska.[20][21][22] The mayor of Kraków, Jacek Majchrowski, had previously said that the city might decline to run the Games without support from regional and national government.[23]

The official election of the European Games 2023 host took place at an EOC General Assembly in Minsk on 22 June 2019 where it was unanimously decided that Kraków and the surrounding Lesser Poland region would hold the Games.[24][25][26] The vote was by a show of hands.[27]

Votes results
2023 European Games bidding results
City Nation Votes
Kraków Poland Unanimous

Organisation

On 28 June 2019, six days after Kraków was awarded the Games, the EOC confirmed it had signed a letter of intent with the European Union of Gymnastics to include gymnastics in the upcoming Games.[28] In July 2019, Hasan Arat, the vice-president of the Turkish Olympic Committee, was named chair of the EOC's Co-ordination Commission for the 2023 Games.[29] He said he was "honoured and humbled by the decision".[29]

In October the same year, both the city of Kraków and the Małopolska region signed a letter of intent confirming their joint commitment to the hosting of the Games.[30] In March 2020, Kraków's mayor Jacek Majchrowski warned of cuts to the city budget and impacts on the tourism industry due to coronavirus which could impact the success of the Games.[31]

Games

The preliminary list of sports for the 2023 Games were agreed as:[32]

  • Archery
  • Artistic swimming
  • Badminton
  • Basketball (3x3)
  • Beach handball
  • Breakdancing
  • Canoeing
    • Canoe sprint
    • Canoe slalom
  • Cycling
    • Road cycling
    • Mountain biking
  • Fencing
  • Gymnastics
  • Judo
  • Karate
  • Modern pentathlon
  • Mountain running
  • Rugby sevens
  • Shooting
  • Ski jumping (summer)
  • Sport climbing
  • Table tennis
  • Triathlon
  • Volleyball
    • Beach volleyball
    • Volleyball
  • Weightlifting
  • Wrestling

Sports which have been confirmed are:

Controversy

LGBT ideology-free zone

The region of Małopolska, to which the Games were jointly awarded, declared itself an LGBT ideology-free zone in 2019.[36] In August 2020, he Lord Provost of Edinburgh Frank Ross wrote to Kraków's mayor Jacek Majchrowski to confirm the city's opposition to homophobia after calls for a "serious rethink" of the two cities' twinning relationship.[37] In September 2020, a group of European politicians (including Liz Barker, a member of the House of Lords and Terry Reintke and Marc Angel, two MEPs) published a letter addressed to the European Olympic Committees in which they demanded LGBT rights be respected and suggested that the Games should be held in a different location due to the Małopolska region's status.[38][39][40] Flemish sports minister Ben Weyts said the region's LGBT-free zone declaration is "incompatible with the values of the Olympic Charter" and that Olympic Committees should not support bids from such regions.[41] The EOC responded, saying that there would be "no discrimination of any kind" and that the Olympic Charter would be respected.[42]

See also

References
  1. Pavitt, Michael (13 September 2020). "Ski jumping and mountain running included on preliminary programme for 2023 European Games". Inside the Games. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  2. "Malopolska region and the city of Krakow to host 3rd European Games in 2023". The European Games. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  3. McDaid, David (27 June 2015). "European Games: Manchester show interest in being 2023 hosts". BBC. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  4. Kirby, Dean (28 June 2015). "Manchester could bid to host European Games in 2023, claims the event's most senior figure". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  5. Pavitt, Michael (14 May 2018). "EOC open to multiple countries hosting European Games". Inside the Games. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  6. "EOC launches Candidature Process for 2023 European Games". European Olympic Committee. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  7. "2023 European Games Bid Document sent to 50 European NOCs". Minsk 2019. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  8. "EOC Launches 2023 European Games Bid Process". Around the Rings. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  9. Zasada, Marcin (19 January 2019). "Igrzyska Europejskie w 2023 roku w Katowicach? A może w metropolii? "Myślimy nad kandydaturą"". Dziennik Zachodni (in Polish). Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  10. Pavitt, Michael (21 January 2019). "Katowice emerges as first contender to host 2023 European Games as Polish city hold talks with EOC". Inside the Games. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  11. "Russia Bidding for 2023 European Games". Around the Rings. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  12. "WADA's vote to reinstate Russia's anti-doping body is a farce". The Economist. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  13. "Russia's Kazan to bid for 3rd European Games 2023". BELTA. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  14. Morgan, Liam (30 January 2019). "Kazan set to bid for 2023 European Games". Inside the Games. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  15. "EUROPEAN GAMES 2023 – DEADLINE FOR BID SUBMISSIONS EXTENDED". European Olympic Committees. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  16. Pavitt, Michael (8 February 2019). "EOC extend bid submission deadline for 2023 European Games until April 30". Inside the Games. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  17. Barker, Phillip (4 May 2019). "EOC extend 2023 European Games bid submission deadline for a second time". Inside the Games. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  18. Morgan, Liam (11 May 2019). "Kraków replaces Katowice as Polish candidate to host 2023 European Games". Inside the Games. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  19. Rowbottom, Mike (17 May 2019). "EOC President Kocijančič aiming for European Games flag to go "from hand to hand" between Minsk and 2023 hosts". Inside the Games. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  20. "3rd European Games in 2023 look set for Poland". European Olympic Committees. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  21. Etchells, Daniel (6 June 2019). "Poland set to stage 2023 European Games". Inside the Games. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  22. "Igrzyska Europejskie w 2023 roku. Kraków i Małopolska jedynymi kandydatami". Interia Sport (in Polish). 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
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  24. "Poland set to host 2023 European Games". SportBusiness. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  25. "Poland bids to host 3rd European Games 2023". BelTA. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  26. "Nächste European Games in Krakau". Sport1 (in German). 22 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  27. "EOC General Assembly unanimously vote Kraków and the Małopolska region as 2023 European Games hosts". insidethegames.biz. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  28. Rowbottom, Mike (28 June 2019). "Gymnastics to be on programme at 2023 European Games, EOC announces". Inside the Games. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  29. Etchells, Daniel (25 July 2019). "Turkey's Arat appointed chair of EOC Coordination Commission for 2023 European Games". Inside the Games. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  30. Gillen, Nancy (24 October 2019). "Kraków and Małopolska region agree 2023 European Games collaboration framework". Inside the Games. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  31. Michael Pavitt (23 March 2020). "European Games host Kraków expecting city budget losses over coronavirus". Inside the Games. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  32. "European Games 2023 - List of Sports Agreed". Olympic Federation of Ireland. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  33. Neil Shefferd (21 December 2020). "Karate and beach handball latest sports confirmed on 2023 European Games programme". Inside The Games. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  34. "Canoeing, taekwondo, modern pentathlon earn 2023 European Games spots". Reuters. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  35. Ko Dong-hwan (21 December 2020). "Taekwondo selected for European Games 2023 in Poland". Korea Times. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  36. Bil Browning (12 October 2020). "Why does the Olympics keep choosing to reward the most anti-LGBTQ countries?". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  37. Emma Powys Maurice (4 August 2020). "Edinburgh mayor urges Polish city Krakow to defend LGBT+ rights amid calls for 'serious rethink' on twinning relationship". PinkNews. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  38. "Igrzyska Europejskie 2023. Europosłowie przeciwni organizacji zawodów sportowych w "homofobicznej" Małopolsce" (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  39. Emma Powys Maurice (9 October 2020). "Politicians condemn Olympics committee over decision to hold European Games in Polish 'LGBT-free zone'". PinkNews. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  40. Rachel Savage (9 October 2020). "Lawmakers criticise hosting of 2023 Games in Polish 'LGBT-free zone'". Reuters. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  41. Alan Hope (8 October 2020). "Weyts attacks choice of LGBT-free Kraków to host European Games". Brussels Times. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  42. Michael Pavitt (13 October 2020). "EOC claims rights will be respected at 2023 European Games amid criticism over Poland's LGBT-free zones". Inside the Games. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
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