Together with about 50 athletes and officials from the Austrian team, Leo Wallner, IOC Member and President of the Austrian Olympic Committee (AOC), and Heinz Jungwirth, AOC General Secretary, got to experience the opening ceremony of the 8th European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) – a spirited beginning to the festival, which aims to help young talents to get their first taste of international competition. Since 1991, 15 to 18-year-old new generation sportsmen and women have had the opportunity to measure their ability in six sports at the EYOF, and to breathe “Olympic” air at this unique Multi-Sport Event.
 
IOC Member and AOC President Leo Wallner attaches great importance to the Festival, which was created in 1991 by current IOC President Jacques Rogge: “The best young sportsmen and women from all over Europe compete here and the record number of participants this year, 1300 athletes and officials from 43 European countries, reflects how highly this event is viewed. The AOC traditionally sends the best athletes from our country to the EYOF. Top performance can only be achieved by systematic development and this includes introduction to international competition. At events such as the EYOF, young athletes can celebrate their first international successes and, at the same time, become acquainted with the intense requirements of international high-performance sport. This is very important for further international appearances at the European or World championships, and it is obviously hoped that, should Salzburg receive the honour of hosting the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, we will see some of the Austrian participants from the 2007 EYOF competing in the 2014 Winter Games in Salzburg.”

This hope is justified: many of the national winter sports greats, such as Michaela Kirchgasser (Alpine Skiing), Mario Scheiber (Alpine Skiing) and Martin Koch (Ski jumping) celebrated their first international successes at the EYOF and have gone on to be world class competitors.

The Austrian team returned with 8 medals: 2 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze and placed third overall in the medals table.