The 3rd European Games 2023
This major sporting event will be hosted by the Małopolska Region (province) and the city of Kraków.
On 11 July 2019 at Kraków City Hall a press conference was held that was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin, Minister of Sport and Tourism Witold Bańka, Head of Małopolska Region’s Government Piotr Ćwik, Speaker of Małopolska Region’s Council Witold Kozłowski, Mayor of Kraków Jacek Majchrowski and President of the Polish Olympic Committee Andrzej Kraśnicki.
In June, during the extraordinary General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC), the joint candidacy of the City of Kraków and the Małopolska Region to host the 3rd European Games in 2023 was unanimously approved. Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin declared the government’s support for the initiative and stated: We consider the event to be a national undertaking. The municipal and regional governments have our full support.
Minister Witold Bańka said: Poland has proven many times that it is an excellent host of international sporting events. We will strive to ensure that the largest possible number of European qualifying competitions for the Paris Olympic Games and European championships are held in Kraków as part of the European Games.
Head of Małopolska Region’s Government Piotr Ćwik said that by 2023 the government will spend PLN 7-8 billion on road and rail projects in the region.
The plan to hold the European Games in Kraków and Małopolska Region is a very good idea. We are both organisationally and substantively prepared to host large-scale events, which we have demonstrated in recent years, for example in the case of the World Youth Day, said Kraków Mayor Jacek Majchrowski.
Interest in the event in the region is already strong. Speaker of Małopolska Region’s Council Witold Kozłowski added that many local governments in Małopolska want to join in hosting the European Games.
The first European Games were held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2015. The Second European Games were held this year in Minsk, Belarus. Athletes in 10 sports fought for national qualification or ranking points for the XXXII Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. In four sports (badminton, canoeing, judo and men’s boxing) the events in Minsk constituted the 2019 European championships for the respective disciplines.
Photo: Bogusław Świerzowski/ UMK
