HE President of Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and First Vice President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani attended the opening ceremony of the European Games 2023 Krakow-Ma?opolska, which is being held in Poland.
HE President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda opened the tournament in the presence of a number of prominent Olympic personalities, most notably HE President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and Member of the International Olympic Committee Spyros Capralos.
7,000 players representing 48 National Olympic Committees will participate in the event, which will include the first European Refugee Olympic Team. The players will compete in 26 sports in the course of 11 days.
HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, who is a member in the Olympic Refuge Foundation executive office, voiced his support for this initiative in which a refugee Olympic team will be able to participate in the continental tournaments for the first time.
New sports are set to be included in the tournament, such as paddle board, teqball, thai boxing, kickboxing, beach handball, rugby sevens, ski jumping, in addition to 18 other Olympic sports. 19 competitions will give participants the opportunity to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The European Games will be held in 13 cities and towns in the Malopolska region in southern Poland. European Olympic Committee aims to organize a sustainable version of the event that does not require more construction of facilities.
Source: Qatar News Agency