European Gymnastics confirmed its absence of any form of gymnastics from the 2023 European Games on Thursday. The announcement marked a significant blow to the continental multi-sport event that has twice featured the ever popular sport.
An untenable venue situation in Krakow and the Malopolska region in Poland was ultimately provided as the official reason for the sport’s absence, with European Gymnastics President Dr. Farid Gayibov explaining, “we looked at several alternatives but couldn’t find [a] venue fitted for gymnastics.”
“We all know that Gymnastics is a very diverse type of sport and is one of the most popular Olympic disciplines,” continued Gayibov. “We do hope that the European Olympic Committees and future hosts will consider returning Gymnastics to the European Games programme to add more value and popularity to these multi-sport games.”
The European Olympic Committees (EOC) have struggled to gain the support of some of the most popular Olympic sports when it comes to the organization’s marquee sporting event. Gymnastics had been a stalwart of the Games, having been featured at the two previous editions of the event.
Gayibov was quick to point out the sport’s support of the event, noting, “six gymnastics disciplines were represented at the 1st European Games held in Baku in 2015.”
He added, “in Belarus in 2019, we were successful to have the same number of gymnastics disciplines, due to the popularity of our sport.”
Gymnastics’ future at the event remains unclear. However, the situation highlights the difficulty of maintaining a sustainable multi-sport event in Europe.
Earlier this summer, European Athletics made headlines after revealing they would not be a part of the 2026 European Championships. The European Championships had emerged as a serious competitor to the European Games, combining the various continental championships of the most prominent Olympic sports under one roof.
The 2018 European Championships took place with the involvement of aquatics, athletics, and gymnastics. Aquatics decided against joining the second edition of the event after it deemed the proposed venues inadequate, while athletics decided against a third outing due to visibility and commercial interests. The high profile abandonments have left the event with an uncertain future heading into 2026.
In the meantime, the EOC has continued to forge ahead with their European Games. The 2023 edition of the event will reportedly include both athletics and aquatics, though details still remain limited around which aquatics disciplines will be featured at the Games.
EOC President Spyros Capralos underlined his confidence in the viability of the event amidst statements marking the one-year-to-go milestone in June.
“Despite the challenges that we have faced, I have complete confidence that this will set a new benchmark for Europe’s premier multi-sport event,” stated Capralos. “The Games will showcase the integral role of sport in promoting peace and unity, whilst being an example to future host cities who can carry this legacy long into the future.”
Key issues such as the involvement of Russia and Belarus remain to be resolved ahead of the event, which is scheduled for June 21st thru July 2nd of 2023.
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