Istanbul was confirmed as the 2027 European Games host on day two at the 53^rd European Olympic Committees (EOC) General Assembly in Bucharest by the European National Olympic Committees (NOC).

The city’s candidacy for the fourth edition of the European Games was approved unanimously following an extensive presentation by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and speeches from Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu and Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) Secretary General Neşe Gündoğan.

President Spyros Capralos’s request for ratification was met with a standing ovation in Bucharest and he expressed his delight that the Municipality and TOC will now be able to move forward with their preparations three years ahead of the Games. The Host City Contract is set to be signed in the coming months.

President Capralos said: “We are delighted to have received support from the entire European Olympic family to stage the next European Games in Istanbul. With the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the TOC, the EOC has found the perfect partners to deliver a European Games which captivates the host city, host country, Europe and indeed the world. We look forward to working closely with all stakeholders over the next three years to make the Games a reality.”

In addition to the European Games confirmation, the 2027 European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOF) were awarded to Brașov, Romania and Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, while there were presentations from the 2025 Winter EYOF hosts Bakuriani, Georgia, and Summer EYOF, Skopje, hosts Skopje. Frankfurt, Germany, was also confirmed as the venue for the 2025 General Assembly.

The morning had begun with the awarding of the EOC Olympic Laurel Awards to Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki (GRE), Tone Jagodic(SLO), Oleg Volkov (UKR) and Mimi Vurdelja (CRO).