(ATR) Patrick Hickey tells Around the Rings the Utrecht European Youth Olympic Festival opening Sunday will be the perfect send-off for EYOF founder and outgoing IOC president Jacques Rogge.
Rogge launched the first edition in Brussels in 1991 since when it has flourished as a biennial sporting event for 14 to 18-year-old youngsters from across the continent. The Belgian steps down as IOC president in September after 12 years in charge.
In Utrecht, around 3,000 athletes aged will compete in the nine Olympic sports on the EYOF program.
"It’s building up into a spectacular event," the European Olympic Committees president told ATR.
"The Dutch are very enthusiastic. It’s a very historic one, Jacques Rogge’s last as the IOC president. He’s the father of the Games, he created them," the Irish IOC member added.
The July 14-19 EYOF will also be notable for the presence of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. The Dutch IOC member, who took the throne in April following the abdication of Queen Beatrix, is opening the multisports event in the Galgenwaard stadium in Utrecht.
"It’s the first sporting event that the new king will attend. There’s great excitement about that," Hickey said.
Rogge will join the new Dutch king, Hickey and organizers at the ceremony, which promises to offer all the Olympic traditions, including the athletes parade, the Olympic flame lighting. Other IOC members in attendance will be Gunilla Lindberg of Sweden and Baron Pierre-Olivier Beckers of Belgium.
The EYOF Olympic torch was lit in Athens on May 30. During the days before the opening ceremony, the torch relay has traveled through the province of Utrecht. Paralympic and Olympic champions Esther Vergeer and Leontien van Moorsel will carry the torch into the stadium.
The nine Olympic sports that are part of the EYOF are: athletics, basketball, cycling, gymnastics, handball, judo, gymnastics, swimming, tennis and volleyball.
The tournament’s director is triple Olympic champion swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband, whose career started at the 1993 EYOF in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands where he won a gold medal.
The seven EYOF venues are all in Utrecht, making it a compact Games.
Athletes will be housed in one of two Olympic Villages – either the campus area of University College Utrecht or at Utrecht Science Park to the east of the city.
On Monday, Rogge will be recognized for his contribution to the EYOF in a special ceremony at the Olympic Village on the university site.
Athletes from all 49 participating nations will make a special presentation to Rogge. Hickey said the event will be attended by many presidents and secretary generals of the EOC member countries.
Reported by Mark Bisson
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