Athletes from 50 countries descended on the ETO Park for an opening which featured acts including DJ Steve Aoki.

A total of 2,500 athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 are taking part in the event.

It includes a 152-strong team from the Hungarian hosts.

Organisers have already been widely praised for their preparations by observers, including Slovenia's European Olympic Committees (EOC) Acting President Janez Kocijančič.

"The flexible and attentive organisation is the key to success," he said shortly before the Ceremony.

"I’m sure, that Győr will organise the best and most memorable European Youth Olympic Festival of all times."

He was accompanied by past and present Presidents of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, Zsolt Borkai and Krisztián Kulcsár.

Borkai, also Mayor of Győr and President of the Organising Committee, hailed how the event has been seven years in the making.

"These seven years meant a vast amount of work, but now, as we can welcome the young athletes of fifty countries here in Győr, everybody feels like all the hard work was worth it," Borkai, winner of an Olympic gold medal in the pommel horse at Seoul 1988, said. 

"It’s really good to see the faces of the youth as they take into possession the newly built establishments happily and satisfied. 

"We needed lots and lots of people’s hard work to realise this."

Athletics, basketball, cycling, canoeing and handball are among the sports on the Festival’s programme.

Judo, gymnastics, tennis, swimming and volleyball will also be contested.

It continues a busy sporting period for Hungary on the same day as pool swimming action began at the International Swimming Federation World Championships in Budapest.