ANNIVERSARY OF EYOF Skaka: 'Congratulations from around the world confirmed that EYOF was recognized as a success'

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - On this day, the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) was opened, the largest sports event after the 1984 Winter Olympic Games, held from February 9 to 16, 2019, in Sarajevo and East Sarajevo.

"Exactly one year ago, as I watched Larisa Cerić light the Olympic flame at the "Asim Ferhatović Hase" stadium, after more than months of serious preparations, pressure, responsibility, coordination, negotiations, agreements, and strong energy, I closed my eyes for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief," said Mayor Abudulah Skaka on the occasion of the anniversary of EYOF held in Sarajevo and East Sarajevo.

More than two thousand athletes, coaches, officials, and delegation members from 46 European countries stayed in Olympic Sarajevo and felt the same Olympic spirit that generations from 1984 remember.

"For us who were part of the army of more than six thousand people, mostly young Bosnians and Herzegovinians, who participated in the organization of this great sports event, those were days of diligent work, but also pride, enthusiasm, and joy. Today, a year after that, we can only guess the significance of EYOF for the entire country and the City of Sarajevo," said Skaka.

He added that international recognition and congratulations from around the world confirmed that the Sarajevo EYOF was recognized as a historic success.

"International recognition and congratulations from around the world, which followed, from the United Nations to the European Olympic Committee in Warsaw, confirmed that the Sarajevo EYOF was recognized as a historic success, not only for our country but also for sports and its contribution to bringing people closer, building bridges of friendship, and overcoming differences for the benefit of all. This is only part of the rich legacy of this project that will be preserved in the future renovated Olympic Museum," concluded Skaka.