Maribor, 29^th of July 2023 - The European Youth Olympic Festival 2023 in Maribor has concluded with a magnificent closing ceremony. 2419 athletes from 48 countries gathered one last time at Trg svobode (Square of Liberty) for a reception honoring the young athletes and their teams.

During the Festival, which was held from July 23 to 29, 2023, numerous medals were awarded, personal records were achieved, new experiences were gained, and most importantly, priceless friendships were made. The Bosnia and Herzegovina team was represented by nine athletes from four sports: athletics, judo, mountain bike, and gymnastics. Although our athletes did not achieve notable results, we are sure that the unique experience of the Festival will be a motivation and inspiration for them to overcome personal limits in the continuation of their sports careers.

The EYOF anthem was sung for the last time by its ambassador Kori, and the Slovenian Armed Forces officially marked the end of the event by lowering the Slovenian flag. A parade of the flags of the participating countries followed, and the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina was carried by Katja Vujičić and Bakir Musić.

A "fair play" award was also presented to judo athlete Mate Gvelesiani from Georgia for his sacrifice when he helped athlete Luka Katić at the medal ceremony and carried him on stage because he was injured.

Following the viewing of the key moments from this year's EYOF, the Mayor of the Municipality of Maribor, Saša Arsenovič, addressed the assembled attendees. “Thanks to EYOF, Maribor became part of the big Olympic family and thus confirmed Slovenia's reputation for organizing major events. According to the size, the festival is comparable to the Winter Olympics in Beijing, which proves that Maribor is able to organize large sports events. This could not be possible without the help of the Olympic Committee of Slovenia, the European Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, the entire Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the organizing committee of EYOF, volunteers, and everyone who helped this festival to be successful as it is. In a short time, we established the necessary infrastructure, which will be available to everyone after the end of the festival. All the goals we set for ourselves have been achieved, namely the acquisition of knowledge, current economic effects, and, of course, multiple effects in the future.”

He was followed on stage by Spyros Capralos, President of the European Olympic Committees, who congratulated the young athletes and said: “Congratulations to all the athletes who will leave Maribor as EYOF medallists. But for sure all of you will leave Slovenia with beautiful memories. EYOF records have been broken over 20 times over the course of the past six days and your performances have been streamed live with over 1 million views, which is far greater than any previous edition of the EYOF. In the pool, on the track, and in the other venues around the city, you have entertained us with your great performances. The future of European sport is bright.”

The final act of this year's European Youth Olympic Festival was the lowering of the flag of the European Olympic Committees and the extinguishing of the Flame of Peace. It will be reignited once more in 2025 for the summer edition of EYOF in Skopje, North Macedonia.

After the ceremony, DJ Maynamic provided entertainment and good music, giving the future Olympians one last opportunity to immerse themselves in the city's vibrant atmosphere and celebrate their achievements with friends.

Incorporating the "Olympic" adjective into sport enhances it with attributes like generosity, unconditional participation, and healthy competition. This is also how this year's EYOF concluded, with the hope that it provided athletes with valuable experiences, bringing them one step closer to achieving their Olympic dreams.