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Radek Cikl, Vice-President of the Liberec Region for education, youth and sports, stated: “We are glad that the joint initiative of the Liberec Region, the EYOWF 2011 Organising Committee, representatives of the Liberec Region in Brussels and Czech Members of the European Parliament resulted in the grant. The Liberec Region, despite having to face cuts in the budget, has always supported the organisation of this significant youth event. This grant for the organisation of EYOWF 2011 will significantly reduce the budget tension of the Liberec Region.”
 
The Liberec Region was elected as the host for EYOWF 2011 in December 2006 at the EOC meeting in Brussels. The overall budget for this event, which represents the top competition for European athletes under the age of 18 and which presents future stars of world sport, amounts to 165 million Crowns. The Liberec Region supports the Festival from its budget to a sum of 128 million Crowns. The organisers of the Festival will receive three quarters of the € 2 million (approximately 38.6 million Crowns) in 2010 and the remaining quarter in 2011.
 
The European Parliament approved this financial support for EYOWF yesterday in Strasburg, as part of an approved amendment to the EU budget. This came about after previous consultation in the EU Budget Committee (30th September 2009) and after the proposal was approved in the first reading during the plenary sitting of the European Parliament (22nd November 2009).
 
Pavel Branda, Head of the Liberec Region Representation in Brussels explains: “The proposal, submitted by MEP Jiří Havel, was supported by his Czech and foreign colleagues. The approval process was dramatic up until the last moment as the Council of the European Union for Economic and Financial Affairs made severe cuts in the amendments proposals just before the final vote. In matters of so called non-obligatory expenditures the European Parliament has the final word and it decided in favour of EYOWF 2011.”

Roman Kumpošt, Honorary President of the EYOWF 2011 Organising Committee and an individual who has contributed to the successful candidacy of EYOWF 2011, added: “EYOWF 2011 will be the first sporting event in the history of the Czech Republic to be co-financed from the European budget. We drew inspiration for financial support from the EU from the organisers of similar events from this year – the Winter Festival in Polish Szczyrk and the Summer Festival in Tampere. They were also supported by grants, although the EYOWF 2011 subsidy is much higher. These helpful steps on the part of the EU demonstrated how important all-European youth activities of this kind are perceived – especially for athletes under 18 y.o.a. – and the high opinion it holds about the event taking place in the Liberec Region in 2011."