Q: What exactly are these European Games?
A: Essentially a mini-European Olympics, open to all 50 European National Olympic Committees, and organised by the European Olympic Committee, under the presidency of our own Pat Hickey. Opening in Baku, Azerbaijan tonight, they run until June 28th, and will feature more than 6,000 athletes from all 50 eligible nations.
Q: Wait, is Azerbaijan not in Asia?
A: Well, yes, although it now considers itself part of Eurasia, and is also a member of the Council of Europe. Q: So why a European Games and why now? A: The idea actually goes back to the revival of the modern Olympics. Other continents began staging games of their own, starting with the Pan-American Games, then the Asian Games, the All-Africa Games and the Pacific Games.
Q: Who turned the idea into a reality?
A. It was former IOC president Jacques Rogge who first pressed the IOC to consider the idea again, although it was Pat Hickey, in his role as president of the EOC, who turned it into a reality. That was as recently as 2012, at the IOC Congress in Rome, although by then Hickey had already been scouting for a potential host, and first approached Azerbaijan when attending the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku in 2012.
Q: So Baku got the whole show up and running in less than three years?
A: Yes, but it hasn't come cheap. The operating budget has been set at about €1 billion, and the entire infrastructural spend an estimated €9 billion. With oil and gas money to burn, Azerbaijan are also covering the costs of all 6,000 athletes. They've now got 18 competition venues, including six temporary arenas.
Q: What about the sporting events?
A: In the end 20 sports signed up: 12 of the sports (archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball, wrestling) will offer qualification opportunities for the Rio Olympics; two are contested in non-Olympic formats (three-on-three basketball and beach football) and there are two non-Olympic sports (karate and sambo). The other two sports are fencing and gymnastics.
Q: So there is athletics and swimming?
A: Yes, but only on a far lower tier. The swimming events are only open to juniors, and athletics was added much later, after the European Athletics Federation agreed to let Baku stage the division four league of the European Team Championships.
Q: Who are some of the main Irish medal hopes?
A: Katie Taylor, naturally, who is looking to add a European Games title to her Olympic, World and European titles. Darren O'Neill and Adam Nolan also have an eye on a boxing medal. Aileen Reid will go in the women's triathlon as one of the top-ranked entries, and Scott Evans and Chloe Magee are both ranked in medal positions in badminton, too .
