European Games facts for kids

Quick facts for kids European Games
Other EOC Games EYOF Small States of Europe

The European Games are a big sports event for athletes from Europe. They are like a smaller version of the Olympic Games, but just for countries in Europe. Athletes compete from countries that are part of the European Olympic Committees (EOC). The EOC is a group that helps organize sports for European nations. Sometimes, a special team of refugee athletes also joins in. The EOC created these Games and announced them in Rome on December 8, 2012.

The European Games are the fifth major continental sports event in the Olympic style. Before them, there were the Asian Games, Pan American Games, Pacific Games, and African Games. This means that since 2015, every main continent has its own Olympic-style games.

It's important not to confuse the European Games with the European Championships. The European Championships are a different event. They bring together separate European competitions for sports like athletics and swimming. These championships started in 2018 and are organized by different sports groups.

The European Olympic Committees (EOC) also organizes two other events. The European Youth Olympic Festivals are for young athletes. They happen every two years in both winter and summer. The Games of the Small States of Europe happen every four years. These games are for very small European countries. As of 2025, there are no official European Winter Games supported by the EOC.

Past European Games Events

The first European Games happened in Baku, Azerbaijan, in June 2015. Since then, they have been held every four years. The 2019 Games took place in Minsk, Belarus, from June 21 to 30. The 2023 Games were held in Kraków, Poland, from June 21 to July 2. The next Games, the 2027 edition, will be in Istanbul, Turkey.

Edition	Year	Host City	Host Nation	Opened by	Start Date	End Date	Nations	Competitors	Sports	Events	Top Placed Team	Ref.
I	2015	Baku	Azerbaijan	President Ilham Aliyev	12 June	28 June	50	5,898	21	253	Russia (RUS)
II	2019	Minsk	Belarus	President Alexander Lukashenko	21 June	30 June		4,082	15	200	Russia (RUS)
III	2023	Kraków-Małopolska	Poland	President Andrzej Duda	21 June	2 July	48	6,857	29	254	Italy (ITA)
IV	2027	Istanbul	Turkey	President of Turkey (expected)	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Countries That Compete

As of the 2023 Games, 50 countries have sent athletes to the European Games. These countries all have a National Olympic Committee recognized by the European Olympic Committee. Two of these countries, Russia and Belarus, are currently not allowed to compete. Also, a special EOC Refugee team has been created to participate.

Sports at the Games

Many different sports are part of the European Games. The table below shows which sports were included in each year and how many events (like different races or competitions) there were for each sport.

Sport (Discipline)		Body		2015	2019	2023	2027	NG
		World	Europe
Artistic swimming		WAquatics	LEN	4		8		2
Diving				8		13
Swimming				42
Water polo				2
Archery		WArchery	WAE	5	8	8		3
Athletics		WAthletics	EAA	1	10	38		3
Badminton		BWF	BE	5	5	5		3
Basketball (3x3)		FIBA	FIBAE	2	2	2		3
Beach handball		IHF	EHF			2		1
Beach soccer		FIFA	UEFA	1	1	2		3
Boxing		IBA	EBC	15	15	13		3
Breaking		WDSF				2		1
Canoe slalom		ICF	ECA			10		3
Canoe sprint				15	16	16
BMX Freestyle		UCI	UEC	2		2		3
Mountain biking				2		2
Road cycling				4	4
Track cycling					20
Fencing		FIE	EFC	12		12		2
Acrobatic gymnastics		FIG	UEG	6	6			2
Aerobic gymnastics				2	2
Artistic gymnastics				14	12
Rhythmic gymnastics				8	8
Trampoline				4	4
Judo		IJF	EJU	18	15	1		3
Karate		WKF	EKF	12	12	12		3
Kickboxing		WAKO				16		1
Modern pentathlon		UIPM				5		1
Muaythai		IFMA				10		1
Padel		IPF				3		1
Rugby sevens		WR	RE			2		1
Sambo (martial art)		FIAS	ESF	8	18			2
Shooting		ISSF	ESC	19	19	30		3
Ski jumping		FIS				5		1
Sport climbing		IFSC				6		1
Table tennis		ITTF	ETTU	4	5	5		3
Taekwondo		WTaekwondo	ETU	8		16		2
Teqball		FITEQ				5		1
Triathlon		WTriathlon	ETU	2		3		2
Beach volleyball		FIVB	CEV	2				1
Volleyball				2
Wrestling		UWW	CELA	24	18			2
Weightlifting		IWF	EWF				X	1
Total events				253	200	254	???

Medals Won by Countries

All-time European Games medal table

More About Sports Events

Big Global Sports Events

• Olympic Games
• World Games

Other Events by European Olympic Committees (EOC)

• European Youth Olympic Festival
• Games of the Small States of Europe

Other European Sports Events

• European Championships (multi-sport event)
• European Para Championships

Sports Events with EOC Members

• Commonwealth Games
• Jeux de la Francophonie
• Lusofonia Games
• Mediterranean Games
• Island Games

Other Continental Olympic-Style Games

• African Games
• Asian Games
  • South Asian Games
  • West Asian Games
  • Central Asian Games
  • Southeast Asian Games
• Pacific Games
• Pan American Games
  • South American Games

See also

In Spanish: Juegos Europeos para niños