3.07.2023
The European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 concluded with the Closing Ceremony on July 2nd at the Henryk Reyman Stadium in Krakow, where our national badminton player Neslihan Yiğit Arın carried the Turkish flag. Team Türkiye won 38 medals, including 9 gold, 9 silver, and 20 bronze, and secured 7 quotas for Paris 2024 at the Games.
Our Team Türkiye squad consisted of 103 female and 90 male athletes, totaling 193 athletes, participating in the sports of archery, artistic swimming, athletics, badminton, boxing, cycling, fencing, judo, canoeing, karate, kickboxing, modern pentathlon, muaythai, shooting, rugby, ski jumping, table tennis, taekwondo, and triathlon.
At the closing ceremony held at Henryk Reyman's Municipal Stadium on the evening of July 2nd, after the flag ceremonies of the countries, the teams entered the field and greeted the audience. Malopolska Regional Manager Witold Kozlowski, Krakow Mayor Jacek Majchrowski, and EOC President Spyros Capralos delivered their speeches. Subsequently, numerous Polish artists and the Krakow Orchestra accompanied the ceremony with concerts and dance performances. Finally, the closing ceremony concluded with a magnificent fireworks display.
At the Ceremony, European Olympic Committees President (EOC) Spyros Capralos said:
“These Games have been an outstanding success. They have exceeded all our expectations. The EOC’s expectations and those of our National Olympic Committees and the athletes. We heard so many positive comments from throughout the European Olympic Family about the warm hospitality and the quality of the venues and operational delivery.
“In spite of the challenges, Poland has demonstrated its capacity to deliver a world-class project. The result is that the athletes are happy and these conditions have allowed them to perform at their best. We have seen some incredible performances from the very best athletes in our continent.
“Thank you, on behalf of all of us in this stadium and the millions who have watched you on global television and social media with joy and admiration. Thank you for competing in the spirit of friendship and unity that is the mark of these Games.
“Thank you to each of our wonderful local partners. Thank you, especially, to the volunteers. You embody this spirit of Poland. Your smiles and your help have made all the difference. Thank you for your precious time.
“Finally, thank you to the people of Poland to whom I must say thank you so much. Thank you for sharing your beautiful home with us.”
Hasan Arat, Chair of the EOC Coordination Commission for the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 said:
“The 3rd European Games was held between 21 June and 2 July in Krakow and Malopolska, Poland, where 7,000 athletes represented their countries in 29 different disciplines, following a preparation period of 2,5 years.
I congratulate all the athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers who came together to compete in the 3rd European Games under the slogan "We are unity" to show the unifying power of sports and the Olympic spirit. I thank to the Polish people and to the supporters coming from various countries who added value to this great excitement.
On behalf of our organizing committee, I extend our thanks to the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda, Minister of Sports and Tourism Kamil Bortniczuk, Marshal of Malopolska Witold Kozlowski, Mayor of Kraków Jacek Majchrowski, EOC President Spyros Capralos and all the local officials for their great contributions. From the very first day, the solidarity and cooperation they demonstrated ensured the flawless execution of the Games.
I once again congratulate every member of the Turkish National Team delegation, our athletes, coaches, and officials who displayed tremendous dedication and honored our country with their achievements.
We finalized a wonderful Olympic experience in Poland. With the hope of being together again in a more exciting atmosphere in Paris in 2024, I would like to greet those who contributed.”
Krakow-Malopolska 2023 became the European Games where our athletes won the most medals, with 9 gold, 9 silver, and 20 bronze medals. With these results, Türkiye finished the Games in 9th place in the medal rankings.
The distribution of medals won by Türkiye in different sports is as follows: 3 medals in shooting, 4 in athletics, 6 in boxing, 6 in karate, 4 in kickboxing, 6 in muaythai, 2 in archery, 6 in taekwondo, and 1 in swimming.
During the Games, Türkiye won 7 quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 6 of which were in boxing and 1 in shooting. Buse Naz Çakıroğlu, Busenaz Sürmeneli, Gizem Özer, Hatice Akbaş, Samet Gümüş, and Tuğrulhan Erdemir secured the Olympic quotas in boxing, while İsmail Keleş achieved the same in shooting, earning a place in the Paris 2024 squad.
Hasan Arat, European Olympic Committees (EOC) Board Member and Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) Vice President served as the President of the Coordination Commission of the 2023 European Games. The Games featured 253 medal events in 26 sports and 29 disciplines, with approximately 7,000 athletes from 48 European countries participating.