The press conference was also attended by the Vice-President of the Liberec Region, Radek Cikl, the Chairman of the public benefit corporation EYOWF 2011, Administrative Board, Petr Doležal, and by the Executive Director of the EYOWF 2011 Organising Committee, Kateřina Nyčová.
“The festival represents the most important youth sports event of the old continent. To young athletes, it means the same as the Olympic Games to the adults. The Czech Republic and the Liberec region are greatly honoured to be able to organize the competition. The festival will be hosting the future world sport stars – still full of pure ideals, honouring the ideas of fair play, and untouched by commercialization as yet. Many of them may already be the ones who will take part in the senior Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014,” said the Chairman of the Czech Olympic Committee, Milan Jirásek, about the EYOWF.
Even though the idea of organizing the EYOWF 2011 came from the former management of the Liberec region, the current region government has decided to respect the concluded contracts and diplomatic obligations, and incorporated successful competition organisation in its policy statement.
THE REGION MANAGEMENT SUPPORTS THE FESTIVAL
“There are at least three main reasons why the management of the Liberec Region sees this festival as a major and beneficial event. Most of all, it focuses on the young generation, encouraging its bodily and physical development, relationship to sports, and the natural competitiveness – such an event is never a lost investment. We also would like for the competition to promote other sports and touristic centres in the region. The participants will stay and have their background facilities in Liberec but, apart from the local modern venues, the competitions will also be held in Jablonec nad Nisou, Rejdice, Harrachov and Bedřichov. Furthermore, we expect that the festival will promote tourism in the Czech as well as foreign visitors," says the President of the Liberec Region, Stanislav Eichler.
“This festival is not only a sports event but it is also an important social and cultural occasion. The organisation committee is preparing special projects for schools in the Liberec region designed to engage their pupils and students in various sports and knowledge competitions promoting healthy life style, the region knowledge, its traditions, and, of course, the festival. Also, preparations of cultural events, happenings, autograph events, discussions about sports are in progress. We are also working on engaging the former and present athletes – patrons of the sports. At present, we are preparing an overall project concerning the above activities, which will commence in the second half of the year," says the Vice-President of the Liberec Region, Radek Cikl.
In cooperation with the EYOWF 2011 organisers, the Liberec Region has initiated a representative and unique survey at selected high schools in the region. At present, the prestigious agency Factum Invenio is carrying out the survey. Twelve high schools in the nine largest cities of the region participate in the survey, students answer questions from the four following spheres: relationship to sports and exercise, the quality of PE at the schools, conditions for sports and the sports facilities equipment, favourite free time activities.
THE BUDGET WILL REMAIN STABLE
In March 2008, the Liberec Region founded a public benefit corporation EYOWF 2011, whose responsibility is to organise the EYOWF 2011 and, at the same time, it serves as the umbrella legal entity for the organisation committee. “The total budget of the festival is CZK 165 million. It will be funded from the Liberec Region budget (CZK 126.8 million), from participant fees from individual countries (CZK 22.7 million), by the Association of European Olympic Committees (CZK 2.5 million), and by sponsors (CZK 13 million). Money intended for the investment construction of new sports centres and venues has nothing to do with the EYOWF 2011 finances, so there is no danger of their potential increase, which means that the budget will remain stable,“ says Petr Doležal, Chairman of the Administrative Board of the public benefit corporation EYOWF 2011.
The EYOWF 2011 Organisation Committee consists of experienced members, who, until July 2007, partook in the preparations of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Liberec 2009. The counsellors and advisors include, among others, the former President of FIS Nordic World Ski Championships Organisation Committee, Roman Kumpošt.