Team GB is heading out to Poland on Saturday for the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival.

The European Youth Olympic Winter Festival (EYOWF) is one of seven International Olympic Committee (IOC) sanctioned events. The first EYOWF took place in 1993 in Italy, with Andorra (1995), Finland (2001), Slovenia (2003) and Spain (2007) amongst others, playing host to the Festival.

The EYOWF provides young athletes with a unique Olympic experience and Team GB has been represented at every edition since it began. The BOA recognises the importance of participating in multi-sport events such as this, focusing on the preparation and development of our talented young athletes into Team GB Olympic winter champions of the future.

Team GB has won five medals at previous EYOWF’s.

Slask-Beskidy 2009

The 2009 edityion is being hosted by five towns in Southern Poland: Bielsko-Biala, Cieszyn, Tychy, Szczyrk & Wisla.

1070 young athletes aged from 15 to 18, representing 45 European member countries, will be competing for a place on the podium in 33 events across nine Olympic sports and disciplines: ice hockey, figure skating, Alpine skiing, cross country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, curling, biathlon and snowboarding.

Team GB – see tomorrow’s Olympians today

For almost all the competitors, aged between 14 and 17, it will be their first opportunity to experience a multi-sport event and a chance to savour the atmosphere of an Olympic Village and Olympic competition.

The 32 British athletes will compete in five disciplines: Alpine Skiing, Cross-country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating and Snowboarding. The Team GB snowboaders are Jamie Barrow (Miles), Dean Horsfield (Accrington), Ollie Jackson (Broadstairs), Ro Kealey (London) and Mark Raper (Doncaster), all of whom were born in 1992.

Good luck to all of the team.

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