The Maltese Olympic Committee will be represented by five athletes at the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), which will be held in the North Macedonia city of Skopje and Osijek in Croatia between today and July 26.

EYOF Skopje 2025 sees athletes between the ages of 14 to 18 compete and organisers said that over 4,000 athletes and officials from 50 European National Olympic Committees will take part.

Malta will be represented by a group of young athletes in four different disciplines.

Fresh from their excellent performance at the 2025 Andorra Games of the Small States of Europe, Thea Parnis Coleiro will compete in athletics, while Sophie St John will take part in Artistic Gymnastics.

In a first for Malta, Jeremy Gatt will represent the country in badminton, marking our debut in this sport at EYOF.

Similarly, Michela Scerri and Alycia Cassar will be the first Maltese athletes to compete in Taekwondo (-44kg and -63kg respectively).

The athletes will be supported by a team of coaches, including Rachid Chouhal (athletics), Natalija Berehova (artistic gymnastics), Matthew Haynes (badminton), and Ditmir Vadinaj (taekwondo).

Triathlete Kai Azzopardi will be attending as Malta’s nominated Young Ambassador, who will be joining another 21 Ambassadors and will be responsible for encouraging athletes to look beyond the competitive arena and to explore the spirit of the Olympic Movement, serving not merely as guides but as inspirational figures.

Team Malta will be led by Chef de Mission Charlene Attard.

Joining the delegation, as a guest of the North Macedonian National Olympic Committee, will be Maltese Olympic Committee president Julian Pace Bonello.

Parnis Coleiro and Gatt were chosen as flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony, which will take place today. 

The European Youth Olympic Festival is Europe’s largest multi-sport event for young athletes aged 14 to 18.

Held every two years under the patronage of the European Olympic Committees, the EYOF offers a unique platform for Europe’s top youth athletes to compete at a high level and experience the spirit of the Olympic Movement.

The event provides participants with international experience in a multi-sport environment that mirrors the Olympic Games, while promoting the values of fair play, cultural exchange, and friendship.