European Games facts for kids

Quick facts for kids European Games
Medal tables Medalists Ceremonies
Games
2015 2019 2023 2027
Sports
Archery Athletics Badminton Basketball Beach soccer Boxing Canoe sprint Cycling Diving Gymnastics Judo Karate Sambo Shooting Swimming Synchronized swimming Table tennis Taekwondo Triathlon Water polo Volleyball Wrestling
Organisations
Charter EOC NOCs
Other EOC Games
EYOF Small States of Europe

The European Games are a big sports event for athletes from across Europe. They are like a mini-Olympics just for European countries. The European Olympic Committees (EOC) created these Games. They announced the idea in Rome on December 8, 2012.

History of the European Games

The European Games are the fifth major continental sports event. They follow in the footsteps of the Asian Games, Pan American Games, Pacific Games, and African Games. This means that by 2015, every major continent had its own big sports competition.

It's important to know that the European Games are different from the European Championships. The European Championships are another multi-sport event. But they are organized by different sports groups. They bring together separate European championships for sports like athletics and swimming.

Host Cities of the European Games

The first European Games happened in Baku, Azerbaijan, in June 2015. Since then, they have been held every four years.

• The 2019 Games were in Minsk, Belarus, from June 21 to June 30.
• The 2023 Games took place in Kraków, Poland, from June 21 to July 2.
• The next Games, in 2027, will be held 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

Nations Competing in the Games

As of the 2023 Games, 50 nations have sent athletes to the European Games. These nations have a National Olympic Committee recognized by the European Olympic Committee.

Currently, two of these nations, Russia and Belarus, are not allowed to compete. Also, a special team called the EOC Refugee Team has been created. This team allows athletes who are refugees to take part in the Games.

Sports at the European Games

The European Games feature many different sports. In the 2019 Minsk Games, there were 15 sports and 23 different types of events. Many of these events helped athletes qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Some events were even European Championships for their sport.

Here are some of the exciting sports you can see at the European Games:

• Archery
• Artistic swimming
• Athletics
• Badminton
• Basketball (3x3)
• Beach handball
• Beach soccer
• Boxing
• Breaking (also known as breakdancing)
• Canoe slalom
• Canoe sprint
• Cycling (including BMX Freestyle, Mountain biking, Road cycling, and Track cycling)
• Diving
• Fencing
• Gymnastics (including Acrobatic, Aerobic, Artistic, Rhythmic, and Trampoline)
• Judo
• Karate
• Kickboxing
• Modern pentathlon
• Muaythai
• Padel
• Rugby sevens
• Sambo (a type of martial art)
• Shooting
• Ski jumping
• Sport climbing
• Swimming
• Table tennis
• Taekwondo
• Teqball
• Triathlon
• Water polo
• Volleyball (including Beach volleyball)
• Wrestling

Medal Winners

You can find out more about who won medals at the European Games by checking the All-time European Games medal table. This table shows which countries have won the most medals over all the Games.

All-time European Games medal table

More About Sports Events

Here are some other big sports events you might be interested in:

Global Sports Events

• Olympic Games
• World Games

Other European Olympic Committee Events

• European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF)
• Games of the Small States of Europe

Other Big European Sports Events

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

Other Multi-Sport Events Around the World

• African Games
• Asian Games
• Pacific Games
• Pan American Games