Slovak Olympic Committee secretary general Jozef Liba, Lillehammer 2016 National Olympic Committees services head Guro Lium and EOC EYOF manager Katerina Nycova formed the Evaluation Commission inspecting the Belarusian capital, which they found to be "an unbelievably clean and green city, with sports facilities and action everywhere".

"For the three of us this visit is the first visit in Belarus," said Liba after the three-day visit.

"We are satisfied what we have seen."

The EOC delegation praised the city's successful hosting of this year's International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship and highlighted "the high level of organisation" at the tournament.

A number of meetings took place between the EOC officials and figures from the Belarus Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and the Ministry of Education during the visit ©Belarus Olympic Committee


A number of meetings took place between the EOC officials and figures from the Belarus Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and the Ministry of Education during the visit, with Minsk 2019 promising a warm welcome for athletes coming to the city if selected to host the festival.

There were also visits to all proposed sports venues, the Athletes' Village at Minsk University, and the Opening and Closing Ceremony Stadium, as all the necessary infrastructure for the 2019 event is already in place.

George Katulin, secretary general of the Belarus Olympic Committee, thanked the Evaluation Commission for their comments during the visit.

The Minsk bid team must present its Final Bid Book by the end of August this year, and the election of the 2019 EYOF host city is due to take place at the EOC General Assembly in Baku on November 21 and 22. 

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