Alkass Digital
QOC President and ANOC Senior Vice President HE Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani tonight attended the Opening Ceremony of the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 to show his support for European NOCs and their athletes.
The Games was opened by the President of Poland Andrzej Duda and EOC President and IOC Member Spyros Capralos.
Almost 7,000 athletes from 48 NOCs are set to compete in 26 sports over 11 days of competition in Poland. Among them will be the first ever EOC Refugee Team. As a Board member of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF), His Excellency expressed his full support of the initiative which represents the first time a Refugee Team has competed at a Continental Games.
Included in the Games programme will be new sports padel, teqball, muaythai, kickboxing, beach handball, rugby sevens, summer ski jumping and breaking alongside 18 Olympic sports. A total of 19 disciplines will use the European Games as a qualification pathway for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The Games will take place across Poland with 13 towns and cities in the Malopolska region set to host events as the EOC aims to deliver a sustainable model without the need for new construction.