Lignano Sabbiadoro has begun the countdown to the 2027 Summer European Youth Olympic Festival, which will take place from 24 July to 1 August. The Italian city will host the competition again 22 years after its first edition and will become the first venue to stage the Summer EYOF twice.
Around 4,000 athletes aged between 14 and 18 will compete across 14 sports over nine days. For many, it will be their first experience at a major international multi-sport competition and their first direct contact with the structure, values and protocols of the Olympic Movement.
A host that already knows the EYOF
Lignano Sabbiadoro hosted the Summer Festival in 2005, while the Friuli Venezia Giulia region later expanded its experience by staging the 2023 Winter EYOF. That track record has made the region one of the European hosts with the most recent experience of organising this type of youth sporting event.
“We are excited about the 2027 EYOF and the opportunity to return to Lignano Sabbiadoro for a second time, 22 years after it first hosted the event,” said EYOF Commission Chair and European Olympic Committees Executive Committee Member Líney Rut Halldórsdóttir. “It is an excellent location in a beautiful part of Italy and offers our young athletes a unique experience at a multi-sport competition.”
The organisers used the one-year-to-go celebration to unveil some of the elements that will accompany the Festival. The event was presented by Alice Gnatta, who represented Italy in rowing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and recently won the women’s double sculls title at the World Rowing Cup in Plovdiv.
Doro, the mascot created by a student
Those in attendance included Lignano Sabbiadoro Mayor Laura Giorgi; EYOF Commission Member Eros Bologna; representatives of the local Progetto Autismo foundation; and student Valentina Polo. Polo won the creative competition to design Doro, the lizard that will serve as the Festival’s official mascot.
The decision to entrust a student with the creation of one of the event’s main symbols reflects the intention to connect the competition with the local community. The EYOF aims to go beyond the sporting calendar by introducing young people to Olympic values, coexistence between nations and the spirit enshrined in the Olympic Charter.
Preparations are progressing on the Italian coast, with the 2005 edition serving as a reference point. Lignano Sabbiadoro 2027 President Giorgio Brandolin said the organisers intend to build on that legacy, update the model and showcase the region’s sporting capabilities. “Hosting the EYOF for a second time is a great source of pride for us. We are determined to build on the legacy of 2005 and deliver a Festival that reflects everything this region has to offer.”
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