The European Olympic Committees (EOC) voted on Saturday to approve the long-running bid to establish a European Games, with Baku in Azerbaijan set to stage the first multi-sport event in 2015.

The EOC’s 41st General Assembly in Rome saw 38 votes cast in favour of the Games, with eight against and three abstentions. The prospect of a European Games was first suggested in 2010 and will give the continent an event similar to the long-established Pan-American Games and Asian Games.

The European Games will take place every four years and will include 15 Olympic sports and two non-Olympic sports which are yet to be chosen. EOC president Patrick Hickey said Baku 2015 is devised as a test event for the European Games concept, with the hope that it can prove a viable competition for the long term.

The EOC said in a statement: “There are plenty of technical details to decide, but the Assembly has above all shown its will to go ahead, and make this sports event, which is in no way intended to be a copy of the Olympic Games, a tool with which to enhance the attractiveness of sport. The NOCs (National Olympic Committees) have received assurance that the event will not cost them a penny, but bring them financial gains.”

However, the European Games is set to take place without several key sports. The European Athletics Association has already voted against the participation of its members, while the issue of accommodating another new event into a busy schedule could also see other sports such as swimming fail to be present for the inaugural event.

Baku was awarded the 2015 European Games as the only city to put forward a bid and the event is likely to boost the Azerbaijani capital’s ongoing drive to bolster its position as a sports host. Baku officials in May insisted that the city will continue its efforts to bring a future edition of the Olympic Games to the city despite having its bid rejected for a second consecutive time. Baku and Doha were eliminated from the race to host the 2020 Games after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo candidate city status.

Source: www.sportbusiness.com