The first leg of the relay of the flame, the Olympic symbol of peace, of the European Youth Olympic Festival, whose 16th winter edition will take place in Friuli Venezia Giulia from 21 to 28 January 2023, is scheduled in San Marino.
On its journey, which starts on Friday 4 November from the Ara Pacis in Rome and ends after 10 stages in Trieste, the torch of the ‘Road to EYOF 2023‘ will pass through San Marino on the afternoon of Saturday 5 November.
The highlight of the programme will take place from 6pm in the square ‘Lo Stradone’ next to the Porta del Paese, where the lorry ‘Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia’ will be stationed. Here the Olympic flame will be received after an impressive passage through the historic centre, starting at Borgo Maggiore and going up to Piazza della Libertà by cable car. The torch will then reach the Basilica del Santo and the First Tower before descending again to the Porta del Paese.
On its way, the flame will be accompanied by some former Sammarinese Olympic athletes, representatives of the sports institutions of San Marino and the organising committee for the EYOF 2023.
On the Stradone, after the institutional welcomes, the celebration itself will take place, with promotional activities aimed at young people, tastings of the excellent cuisine and wines of Friuli Venezia Giulia and entertainment with mascot Kugy and a DJ set.
The aim of the Olympic Fire Tour is to convey the spirit of the EYOF2023 FVG with messages of friendship, integration and sharing.
The 16th winter edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival, which will open on 21 January 2023 with the Opening Ceremony in Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia, promises to be the edition of records. And not only because of the numbers – 2,300 participants, 1,300 athletes aged 14 to 18 from 47 national Olympic committees, 12 host cities (including Austria’s Spittal and Slovenia’s Planica), 14 sports disciplines for 109 competitions in the calendar, 1,300 volunteers, 80 regional accommodation providers involved in hospitality – but also and above all because of the many innovative strategies that the organising committee is pursuing, also with regard to environmental and financial sustainability.
The EYOF2023 FVG will also feature the disciplines Alpine Skiing, Free Style Skiing (Slopestyle & Big Air) and Ski Cross for the first time ever.