The Coordination Commission for the Istanbul European Games 2027 will make its first official visit to the city this week, marking the start of the on-site monitoring phase led by the European Olympic Committees -EOC- and the transition into the operational stage of preparations for the continental multi-sport event.
The Commission is chaired by Mihai Covaliu, a member of the EOC Executive Committee and President of the Romanian Olympic Committee, and is tasked with overseeing progress and providing ongoing support to the Organising Committee across key technical and organisational areas.
Budget, venues and sports programme under review
The programme begins on Wednesday with the first in-person working meeting, during which the Organising Committee will present updates on the budget, the masterplan and the sports programme planned for the 2027 edition, all central elements at this early stage of the planning cycle.
On Thursday, members of the Coordination Commission will visit proposed competition venues across Istanbul, with the aim of assessing facilities on site and their compliance with the technical and sporting requirements established for the European Games.
Covaliu underlines the strategic importance of the visit
Mihai Covaliu highlighted the significance of this first visit to the host city, with the Games scheduled for June 2027. “It will be a great pleasure for the Coordination Commission to hold our first full visit to Istanbul, a historic city with a strong passion for sport,” he said.
He added that, beyond reviewing organisational progress, the visit will help strengthen institutional cooperation and pointed to the role of the event within the Olympic calendar: “We are looking forward to visiting the venues that will host Europe’s best athletes and seeing many of them qualify for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.”
The EOC strengthens cooperation with Turkish organisers
For his part, Spyros Capralos, President of the European Olympic Committees -EOC-, said the first visit further builds momentum around Istanbul 2027 and underlined the continuity of the project within the European Olympic Movement. “The Coordination Commission will play a vital role by working closely with our partners in Türkiye to deliver a memorable event,” he stated.
The full composition of the Istanbul 2027 Coordination Commission was confirmed in November 2025 and includes representatives from the EOC Executive Committee, national Olympic committees, European federations, the EOC Athletes’ Commission, and experts from various areas of multi-sport event organisation.
The institutional framework of the project is completed by the Host Country Agreement signed between the European Olympic Committees -EOC- and the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Türkiye, underlining the commitment of all stakeholders to the organisation of the fourth edition of the European Games.
