ROME (AP) — The inaugural European Games were approved Saturday by continental Olympic committees and assigned to Baku in June 2015. The secret ballot of European Olympic Committees ends years of debate, passing with 38 in favor, eight against and three abstaining. The capital of Azerbaijan was the sole candidate. The results were met with applause from the floor of 49 delegations at the two-day EOC general assembly. Other continents already have regional competitions, such as the Asian Games and Pan American Games. The biggest obstacle to a European Games had been the fact that two major sports — athletics and swimming — already have established continental competitions. It remains unclear if athletics and swimming will participate in 2015. Dates have not been fixed yet, but as many as 7,000 athletes are expected to participate. The event will include 15 of the 28 summer Olympic sports, plus two non-Olympic sports, which haven't been selected yet. Sports that could be confirmed include: archery, badminton, boxing, canoeing, fencing, handball, judo, rugby sevens, shooting, taekwondo, table tennis, triathlon and volleyball. Negotiations are also under way with the European Union of Gymnastics. The games will be held every four years. The idea for a European Games had been under consideration for years, but this was the first time the EOC voted. The already crowded sports calendar had been among the main concerns. "These first games will be very much a trial and test run for a huge event in 2019," EOC President Patrick Hickey told The Associated Press on Friday. "My idea is that this would become a qualifier for the Olympic Games in 2020 for certain sports. We have to negotiate with certain federations." Continued... |