The Festival, which is due to take place from January 25 to 30 in Vorarlberg, Austria and Liechtenstein, is the top multisport event for young European athletes between the ages of 14 and 18, along with the Summer edition. 

Arriving today, 108 days before the Opening Ceremony, each NOC will undertake a venue tour tomorrow before taking part in a plenary session on Saturday (October 11). 

Peter Mennel, EYOF 2015 chairman of the Board, Philipp Groborsch, EYOF 2015 chief executive, and Rosie Pili, head of NOCs services, welcomed the NOCs in a written statement.

"This is the first operational event of the 2015 EYOF Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein, so we are eager to show you our vision of what the EYOF means," read the statement. 

"With just 108 days left before the Opening Ceremony on January 25, the preparations are rapidly moving forward. 

"We certainly hope that this seminar will show you our beautiful regions, familiarise you with our venues in Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein and help you prepare to bring your teams to the EYOF in the best possible way.

"The team has worked hard to prepare the venue tours and plenary session so that we can provide each participating NOC with the highest level of information to complement our Chef de Mission manual and technical manual published last September."

Jacques Rogge, former President of the International Olympic Committee, is the father of the EYOFs ©Getty Images



The Festival brings together approximately 1,600 athletes and officials and includes all the usual rituals of a senior Olympic Games, such as the burning of the Olympic Flame throughout its duration. 

The sports programme consists of Alpine skiing, biathlon, cross country, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and snowboarding.

The fact that two countries are co-hosting the Festival, the heart of which will be located here in the Montafon Valley and the two neighbouring towns of Schruns and Tschagguns, marks a first since its inception.

Founded by Jacques Rogge, former President of the International Olympic Committee and now its Honorary President, the Summer edition was first held in the Belgian capital of Brussels in 1991 with the Winter edition following two years later in Aosta, Italy.

The EYOFs belong to the European Olympic Committees (EOC), and are organised on behalf of the EOC, which has the exclusive rights to the event.

They are regulated by the EOC Articles of Association as well as the regulations contained in the EYOF Charter and other EYOF rules and regulations.

These govern, among other aspects, all that which concerns the duration, the bidding procedure and the election of the host city, together with the general organisation of the EYOFs.

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