The inspectors, led by Commission chairman Spyros Capralos, will visit nine venues in all during a tour today, accommodating some eleven of the fifteen sports that will feature in the event next June.

These include the Chizhovka Arena, base for judo and karate, the Sports Palace, which will host wrestling and sambo, and the refurbished Dinamo Stadium, the home of athletics at Minsk 2019.

It followed a series of closed-door meetings in Minsk this morning.

Commission members were welcomed back to the city last night at a dinner attended by Kovalchuk.

Kovalchuk told the inspectors he and his colleagues were very glad to welcome them and were “ready to work".

“We have a good team and we are ready to make every effort,” he said.

“We have a lot to do yet.

“We are approaching our goal slowly but surely.”

More than 4,000 athletes from 50 countries are set to compete in just over 200 medal events at what will be the second European Games.

Competitions in ten of the featured sports are set to act as qualifiers for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.