The European Olympic Committees (EOC) continental association has formally signed terms with Turkey for the country to host the 2027 European Games.
Turkey will host the fourth edition of the games in the country’s largest city, Istanbul, with this agreement also involving the creation of a coordination team to lead the delivery of the multi-sport event.
The previous three editions have taken place in Baku (2015), Minsk (2019), and Kraków (2023).
Istanbul was confirmed as the games' host in March last year, with securing these rights part of its plan to demonstrate it is a viable option to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
Istanbul, as stated in Turkey’s event plan, will require no additional construction to host the European Games beyond what already exists, or construction that was already planned.
This coordination commission will be chaired by EOC executive committee (ExCom) member Mihai Covaliu, president of the Romanian national Olympic committee (NOC), with fellow ExCom member and Croatian NOC president Zlatko Matesa serving as vice-chair.
Other members of the commission include European Aquatics president Antonio Silva, Chair of the EOC athletes commission Johanna Taliharm, IOC athletes commission and ExCom member Emma Terho, European Athletics president Dobromir Karamarinov, and the yet-to-be-appointed president of European Gymnastics.
In terms of NOC representation on the commission, the president of the NOCs of Norway, Spain, Ukraine, Hungary, and France will all feature.
In all, the coordination commission will be composed of 25 representatives from NOC’s across Europe, who will make their first visits to Istanbul in January 2026.
EOC president Spyros Capralos, who signed the host city agreement alongside Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, commented: “We knew when Istanbul was selected that we had secured an outstanding host for the 2027 European Games, with a proven reputation for delivering world-class sport events.
“The EOC enjoys an excellent relationship with all stakeholders in Turkey, and the host country agreement reaffirms the ministry’s unwavering support for the event.
“We are also pleased to confirm the EOC’s Coordination Commission for Istanbul 2027, and its members will bring great experience and diverse perspectives from across European sport.
“The European Games is Europe’s premier multi-sport event, and we are very excited for Europe’s best athletes to meet in Istanbul in 2027, with many of them competing for a chance to qualify for the Olympic Games.”
