2015 European Games

2015 European Games
Official emblem of Baku 2015
Host city	Baku, Azerbaijan
Nations participating	49 (+/–)
Athletes participating	5,440 (+/–)
Events	223 in 18 sports
Opening ceremony	12 June
Closing ceremony	28 June
Main venue	Baku Olympic Stadium
Website	baku2015.com

The 2015 European Games (Azerbaijani: 2015 Avropa Oyunları) will be the inaugural edition of the European Games, a multi-sport event for European athletes. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2015.^[1]

Host city selection

Baku, the host city of the first European Games

On December 8, 2012, at the 41st General Assembly of the European Olympic Committee in Rome, it has been decided to hold the first ever European Games. The Assembly was attended by 49 National Olympic Committees. Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, has been awarded the rights to host the inaugural European Games in 2015.

The decision was made as a result of the secret balloting, where of 48 votes, 38 came in favor. Eight votes came against, and two more abstained from voting. The representatives of Armenia refused to take part in the voting.^[2]

Organisation

Organizing Committee

The organizing committee for the European Games 2015 will be established in the first half of 2013. Gabil Mehdiyev, head of the press service of the Ministry of Youth & Sports of Azerbaijan, says that originally it is planned to hold high-level talks between the Government of Azerbaijan and the European Olympic Committee.

The Games

Sports

The European Games will feature at least 223 events in 18 sports at the inaugural event in June 2015 although the final programme has not yet been finalised. From an early state, the Games were intended to have a small number of non-Olympic sports. The number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses.^[3]

The Committee stated that discussions were ongoing in relation to athletics and the non-Olympic sports of sport climbing and dance sport.^[4] At May 14, 2013, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) confirmed its involvement in the Games.^[5] The head of the International Rowing Federation, Denis Oswald also confirmed that, despite initial reservations on the European Games concept, he had been asked by several national federations to seek to have rowing included, subject to satisfactory facilities being available; a shortened 1000 metre format (as against the Olympic Games 2000 metre format) was suggested.^[6] However, due to health and safety concerns, rowing's entry to the Games was postponed to a 2019 Games. Athletes who compete in aquatics events will be of junior age due to other big swimming competitions in 2015.^[7]

There was some speculation that in the absence of agreement with European Athletics, the Games may contain an 'unsanctioned' shortened athletics programme, hosted as a four day 'international permit meeting' with invited athletes, but treated as a full medal event for the purposes of the Games.^[8] Alernatively, a "street athletics" event, mirrored on the Great City Games concept has also been proposed.

Calendar

First version of the competition schedule.^[9]

June		12th Fri	13th Sat	14th Sun	15th Mon	16th Tue	17th Wed	18th Thu	19th Fri	20th Sat	21st Sun	22nd Mon	23rd Tue	24th Wed	25th Thu	26th Fri	27th Sat	28th Sun	Events
Ceremonies		OC																CC
Archery							1	2	●	●	1	1							5
Badminton												●	●	●	●	●	2	3	5
Basketball (3x3)													●	●	●	2			2
Beach soccer														●	●	●	●	1	1
Boxing						●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	3	5	5		13
Canoe sprint				●	5	10													15
Cycling						●	●	2				2		2		1	1		8
Diving							2	2	1	2	1								8
Fencing												2	2	2	2	2	2		12
Gymnastics					●	●	1	●	12	10									23
Judo															5	4	5	2	16
Karate			6	6															12
Shooting			3	3	1	3	3	2	4										19
Swimming													7	8	9	7	11		42
Synchronized swimming		●	●	●	2	2													4
Table tennis			●	●	2	●	●	●	2										4
Taekwondo					2	2	2	2											8
Triathlon										1	1								2
Volleyball			●	●	●	●	●	●	●	1	1	●	●	●	●	●	1	1	4
Water polo		●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	1	1								2
Wrestling			2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3									18
Total events			11	11	14	19	11	12	22	18	5	5	9	12	19	21	27	7	223
Cumulative total			11	22	36	55	66	78	100	118	123	128	137	149	168	189	216	223
June		12th Fri	13th Sat	14th Sun	15th Mon	16th Tue	17th Wed	18th Thu	19th Fri	20th Sat	21st Sun	22nd Mon	23rd Tue	24th Wed	25th Thu	26th Fri	27th Sat	28th Sun	Events

Participating countries

As many as 5,440 athletes, from 49 European countries, are expected to participate in the inaugural European Games 2015.

Venues

It is expected that the opening ceremony of the 2015 European Games will be held in the Baku Olympic Stadium, which is currently under construction.^[10][11] The medal ceremonies will be held at the temporary Victory Plaza at the Freedom Square.^[12]

Village cluster

Flag square cluster

City cluster

Other venues

Links

• Baku2015 official site

References