Patrick Hickey, EOC President, announced the formation of a Working Group to look at the format of these Games, which are held every two years, with the next Winter EYOF due to begin in Austria and Liechtenstein in less than a week.

"It is a fantastic event and it is hugely successful," Hickey said.

"But we are under pressure from sports, especially in the summer one.

"We are under pressure to have a lot more than nine sports and a lot more events.

"But we don't want to make it so big it goes out of control and gets like a big Games."

It is a big year for the EOC and its President Patrick Hickey, also including the inaugural European Games in Baku ©Baku 2015



The 2015 Winter EYOF in Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein will bring together 900 14 to 18-year-old athletes from 45 nations.

The festival begins with an Opening Ceremony at the Montafon Nordic Centre in Tschagguns on Sunday (January 25).

The 2015 Summer EYOF is to be held at the Georgian capital Tbilisi, while the 2017 events will be staged by Sarajevo and Györ, Hungary respectively.

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