The inaugural European Games took place in Baku, Azerbaijan last summer, but since then the European Olympic Committee (EOC) has been struggling to find another host of the quadrennial event.
The Netherlands were originally selected as hosts of the second-ever European Games, set to take place in 2019, but the nation dropped out citing financial burdens. In June of 2015, Dutch Sports Minister Edith Schippers connected Netherlands’ decision to withdraw to “the lack of financial security and a lack of interest from some international sports federations who have questioned the need for yet another event in an already crowded sporting calendar.”
According to Inside the Games, however, the city of Minsk, Belarus will officially be stepping in to fulfill 2019 European Games hosting duties.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko told the EOC General Assembly this week, “Belarus is not a superpower, but we are paying a lot of attention to spot.”
“I want our European organisation to be as good as the organisations of other continents, including the International Olympic Committee. In this regard I am a nationalist and a patriot. Therefore, you can count on Belarus.
“If you wish to hold any events in Belarus within the framework of this organization, we are ready to support our organisation at any moment and organize any events.
“We have made a historic decision, and will welcome European athletes here for our Olympics in 2019.”
The European Games are meant to bring the best of multiple sports together as a sort of off-year Olympic Games. But many sports already scheduled their European Championships in between Olympic cycles. The sport of swimming also has the FINA World Championships, taking place in 2019. The inaugural 2015 edition of the European Games represented that year’s European Junior World Championships.
