Istanbul to host 2027 European Games

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) – The European Olympic Committees (EOC) Executive Committee (ExCom) announced on Wednesday that Istanbul city will host the 2027 European Games.

The EOC said in a statement that it "unanimously" awarded the fourth edition of the competition to the Turkish metropolis.

"The EOC is delighted to have approved Istanbul's candidature to host the European Games 2027," EOC President Spyros Capralos said in a statement.

"It is a great news for both Europe’s athletes and the city. Istanbul and Türkiye have long been good friends of international sport, with Istanbul having woven sport into the fabric of everyday life for the benefit of its citizens. We know it will be the perfect place for Europe’s best athletes to shine in 2027,” Capralos added.

"Further building on the success of Krakow-Malopolska 2023, the EOC and the Istanbul team resolved to ensure an even higher proportion of the competitions serve as qualification events for the Olympic Games LA 2028," the EOC statement read.

The committee stated that they envisage "no additional construction" beyond the venues either already built or already planned for the city.

The European Games, a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic tradition, was first held in 2015 in Baku.

Previous hosts included Belarus’s Minsk city (2019) and Krakow-Malopolska in Poland (2023).