The idea of the Eurovision Games was born in the 1950s with the idea of bringing together employees of broadcasting stations at an annual meeting and engaging in sports activities together. In addition to the initial summer Euros, the Winter Games developed in the 1970s, which celebrated their 49th edition this year. It was organized by the ORF Sports Association. The competitions were held under the motto “Being there is everything”: both beginners and advanced winter athletes took part in the competitions.
Host Saalfelden Leogang combines sport, pleasure and culture
Originally scheduled in 2020, the Eurovision Sports Winter Games were finally able to take place in Saalfelden Leogang in 2023 after three cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn and the Nordic Competence Center in Hochfilzen offered the event the optimal location and the best conditions for the races in alpine and Nordic disciplines.
In addition to the sporting aspect, great emphasis was placed on a varied supporting programme to strengthen the community and to provide the participants with diverse cultural insights from the region. Casual get-togethers in the KrallerAlm, dinners with traditional music groups and national evenings ensured a cozy end to the competition days.
The varied supporting program started with the opening ceremony on Saturday, which was accompanied by the music band Leogang. In addition, the participants were able to explore the Saalfelden Leogang region on their own during two free days. They also had the opportunity on Wednesday to cook their own national dishes for others at a joint evening of nations, which was framed by the D’Weissbacher Schuhplattleler Saalfelden. In order to end the week around the Eurovision Sports Wintergames, a gala evening took place on Friday in the KrallerAlm, where all participants came together for one last time to review the successful Eurovision Sports Wintergames 2023.
The sports programme of the 49th edition
This year's Winter Games field comprised about 120 broadcasting staff from seven nations (Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, France, Sweden, Austria). During the Euro Week, the Winter Athletes:women mastered five competitions in alpine and Nordic disciplines at two different venues in the region. The FIS race track along the Almbahn from the Asitz-Mittelstation to the Forsthofalm in the Saalbach Hinterglemm Skicircus Leogang Fieberbrunn was used for the alpine competitions (slalom, giant slalom and a super-G similar to "sport giant slalom"), while the Nordic cross-country competitions took place in Hochfilzen.
