By Catherine Riener
In bright sunshine and accompanied by the applause of the spectators, the participants of the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) run into the park where the memorial to the Slovak National Uprising stands. Among those arriving in Banská Bystrica, the self-declared heart of Slovakia: TSG-Judoka Sarah-Joy Bauer. Participating in the EYOF is a dream come true for the Backnang native. This is one of the reasons why she draws a positive conclusion despite being eliminated in the first round.
Running in as a youth Olympian with the Germany team was “an indescribable feeling” for the student, and the way there was by no means easy. Bauer remembers: “Until a month ago I didn’t even know if I would really be here.” Thanks to two European Cup wins and countless other placements in tournaments, the 16-year-old had good chances for the pre-selection, but it is a long and hard process. “In the end, only one judoka per weight class makes it,” explains Bauer. The fact that she was chosen in the middleweight category up to 57 kilograms is “a huge honor” for the Backnanger. “Being part of the EYOF is definitely one of my sporting highlights,” she explained beforehand and still stands by it afterwards. She’s even more confident: “I’ve never fought in such a great atmosphere anywhere else. From here I can take a lot with me for competitive sports.”
Surprised just before the end
For example, from their only duel on this international stage, the fight against the Estonian Anna-Liisa Nurm. At the beginning, Bauer was surprised by a quick turning attempt by the opponent. But before Nurm had the chance to throw Bauer over his shoulder in a high arc (Seio-Nage), the backnanger deftly twisted out of the grip and from then on went full on attack. “Sara-Joy then came into the fight coolly and controlled what was happening,” reported Jens Holderle, Bauer’s home coach at TSG. He had traveled to Slovakia specifically to support his protégé. For the next three minutes neither fighter could beat the other until Bauer went into full swing again with ten seconds before the end and started an O-Soto-Gari. “She might have risked a bit too much there,” Holderle judged, adding: “The opponent pumped quite a bit, Sara-Joy was in much better condition.” In the overtime, the athlete from Murrtal would have had advantages. But that didn’t happen anymore. The Estonian countered the throwing attempt and thus sealed Bauer’s defeat and the end of the Youth Olympic Festival.
That wasn’t the desired result, but that doesn’t always happen. That’s why the Backnangerin doesn’t express any great frustration. What counts for them at the EYOF is the Olympic thought that taking part is everything. And she was all about it, having set out on the journey to Dresden two days before the opening ceremony. The 125 strong German team gathered there before heading to Slovakia together the next day. Bauer liked that. The athletes were able to “get to know each other straight away and develop a strong team spirit” on the 600-kilometer journey together.
It was lived accordingly in Slovakia. The judoka says: “Everyone was in the sports facilities the whole time.” If not on the court, on the mat or in the swimming pool, then in the spectator areas. “I think it’s nice that all athletes can watch other sports. Completely new contacts are formed – also outside of judo. I also like that the team spirit is so strongly encouraged and that everyone makes an effort to get along well with each other. I will definitely have positive memories of the EYOF and the people here.”
And that’s exactly what it’s all about, as Spyros Capralos, President of the European Olympic Committee, once again made clear in his closing speech. For him, the real magic of EYOF is breaking records, creating memories and making friendships that will last a long time.
A huge effort for the big performance of the youth Olympians
Well prepared The city of Banská Bystrica had been preparing for months to host the EYOF. The voluntary helpers in the municipality in northern Slovakia, which has a population of just under 80,000, had already been trained at the beginning of May. On June 1st the torch with the flame of peace to be lit in Rome had arrived. Two weeks later, the first test events were held to check the capacity of the sports facilities and the interaction of the helpers.
1300 for 2252 A total of 1300 volunteers worked on the six-day event with 2252 European youth athletes. The program included ten sports: badminton, basketball, handball, judo, athletics, swimming, racing bikes, gymnastics, tennis and volleyball. Although the number of sports is smaller than in the adult Olympics, the basic idea is the same. This is already evident at the opening ceremony. Each country team arrives with its own uniform and one flag bearer each. As ambassadors of the event, Slovak Olympic champions Anastasiya Kuzmina (biathlon) and Matej Tóth (walking) lit the peace fire.
Hotel instead of village There was no Olympic village. Sara-Joy Bauer explains: “We stayed in a large hotel on site.” Each country had its own corridor there. That alone brought you into contact with other athletes. However, a corridor for a country is often not enough. “The teams were so large that a country often occupied several floors. For example, Austrians were housed on the first and second floors, then the Serbs on the third floor and so on,” says Bauer.
