It’s only two days until the start of EYOF 2015 in Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein. From 25 to 30 January, some 1000 athletes from 45 nations will be competing in eight kinds of sport. 1200 helpers are assisting at the event, including five students from the University of Liechtenstein.
It’s only two days until the start of EYOF 2015 in Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein. From 25 to 30 January, some 1000 athletes from 45 nations will be competing in eight kinds of sport. 1200 helpers are assisting at the event, including five students from the University of Liechtenstein.
The European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) was launched with the aim of giving young athletes the opportunity of facing international competition under Olympic conditions at an early age, and so acquiring sporting experience. Since the first Summer Games in Brussels in 1991, summer and winter games have been held every two years as a showcase for young talent.
Next Sunday, 25 January at 7.30 pm the official opening ceremony of the twelfth EYOF will be held at the specially built ski jump stadium in Schruns-Tschagguns. In the days from 25 to 30 January, athletes aged from 14 to 18 coming from 45 different countries will have the chance of showing what they can do in eight sporting disciplines – biathlon, ice hockey, cross-country skiing, Nordic Combination, Alpine skiing, ski jumping and snowboarding. Based on the number of countries competing and the number of athletes taking part, EYOF is the biggest multi-sport event in Europe. This year for the first time two countries are sharing the organisation – Liechtenstein and the Austrian federal state of Vorarlberg.
From left to right: the uni.li EYOF project team: Michael Lang, Judith Arnold, Katharina Starke, Saphira Vogel and Martin Staudinger
Sport and Culture Challenge – uni.li Projekt
With the aim of involving the local population (especially schools of the region) in this big event, as well as to encourage cross-cultural communication, a Sport & Culture Challenge has been set up. Under the auspices of the MasterLab project module, which forms part of the third semester of the MA in Entrepreneurship, five students have helped the EYOF team to realise this project and so bring the event to the attention of the local region.
The Sport & Culture Challenge consists of the following four modules:
1. The Olympic torch relay
2. QR-Alpy (a video-based ‘Advent calendar’)
3. State sponsorship / House of Culture
4. School Sports & Fan Challenge
The project has the task of planning, organising and executing the last three modules, which for the most part will take place in the course of the EYOF event at the end of January.
Based on the sponsorship scheme, Montafon residents and Liechtenstein schools are acting as representatives of their country. Imaginative posters, sculptures and other works of art relating to the sponsoring nation have been created and are being exhibited by two of the University of Liechtenstein MA students at the House of Culture in the Schruns Local History Museum.
In partnership with sporting associations, the other three students will be responsible for organising the School Sports & Fan Challenge, in which school classes from Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein will demonstrate their skills in five disciplines – ice hockey, figure skating, cross-country skiing, Alpine skiing and ski jumping – on the original Olympic grounds.
Invitation to the events
The art works created for the state sponsorship scheme can be viewed every day at the House of Culture in the Heimatmuseum [Local History Museum], Kirchplatz 15, 6780 Schruns, AUSTRIA. Opening hours are as follows:
Sunday, 25 January 2015: 10.00 am to 6.00 pm
Monday, 26 January to Friday 30 January: 1.00 to 7.00 pm
Anyone interested in watching the young athletes compete will find the full schedule, with dates and times, at the following link: www.eyof2015.org/de-ch/sport/programm/sportplan.aspx.
Entrance to the Games is free of charge. The prizegiving ceremony takes place at 7.30 pm every evening on the Medals Square (Kirchplatz, in Schruns) and will be followed by a closing musical performance. During the week of the EYOF a total of ten bands and nine DJs will be appearing.
Further links
House of culture
Photos