# 2015 European Games

The 1st European Games (Azerbaijani: 1-ci Avropa Oyunları), also known as the 2015 European Games or Baku 2015 (Azerbaijani: Bakı 2015), were the inaugural edition of the European Games, an international multi-sport event for athletes representing the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the European Olympic Committees. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 12 to 28 June 2015, and featured almost 6,000 athletes from 50 countries competing in 30 sports, including 15 summer Olympic and 2 non-Olympic sports.

## Host selection

Baku was awarded the right to host the first European Games at the 41st EOC General Assembly in Rome, on 8 December 2012. The European Games will take place every four years thereafter, with the next competition held in 2019.
The decision was made as a result of secret balloting, where of 48 votes, 38 were in favour of the sole bidder for the event. Eight votes were against, and two more abstained from voting. The representatives of Armenia refused to take part in the voting.

## Organisation

The Organising Committee responsible for the inaugural European Games in Baku was established by decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The committee is chaired by the First Lady of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, member of the Executive Committee of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. Baku 2015 European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC) was established under the direction of the Chairperson of the Organising Committee.
The Chief Executive Officer of BEGOC is Azad Rahimov, Minister of Youth and Sport while the Chief Operating Officer is Simon Clegg.

### Venues

There were four clusters and 18 competition venues for the inaugural European Games, including 12 that were designed to become permanent venues. Five of the venues were new-builds: the National Gymnastics Arena, BMX Velopark, Baku Aquatics Centre, Baku Shooting Centre and National Stadium. There were six temporary venues: Water Polo Arena, Beach Arena, Basketball Arena, Mountain Bike Velopark, Triathlon, Cycling road race and time trial.
The Athletes Village, located in the Nizami raion of Baku, comprises 13 buildings, 16 different types of apartments with three to four bedrooms per apartment.
Key to colours :
| E | Existing |
| N | New |
| T | Temporary |

#### Village cluster

| Venue | Sports | Capacity | |
| Baku National Stadium | Ceremonies, athletics | 68,000 | N |
| National Gymnastics Arena | Gymnastics | 6,862 | N |

#### Flag square cluster

| Venue | Sports | Capacity | |
| Baku Aquatics Centre | Swimming, diving, synchronized swimming | 6,000 | N |
| Water Polo Arena | Water polo | 2,400 | T |
| Beach Arena | Beach soccer, beach volleyball | 3,900 | T |
| Basketball Arena | 3x3 basketball | 2,500 | T |
| Crystal Hall | Volleyball | 6,000 | E |
| Crystal Hall | Boxing | 3,400 | E |
| Crystal Hall | Fencing, karate, taekwondo | 2,000 | E |

#### City cluster

| Venue | Sports | Capacity | |
| Baku Sports Hall | Badminton, table tennis | 1,700 | E |
| Tofiq Bahramov Stadium | Archery | 31,200 | E |
| Heydar Aliyev Arena | Judo, wrestling, sambo | 7,700 | E |

#### Other venues

| Venue | Sports | Capacity | |
| Baku Shooting Centre | Shooting | 500 | N |
| Mountain Bike Velopark | Mountain biking | 1,670 | T |
| BMX Velopark | Cycling BMX | 1,600 | N |
| Bilgah Beach | Triathlon | 1,500 | T |
| Kur Sport and Rowing Centre, Mingachevir | Canoe sprint | 1,300 | E |
Bilgəh beach — road cycling time trials

### Ticketing

The local organising committee launched an online sales page on its website to allow fans purchasing tickets for the inaugural event.
Adult tickets for sport sessions range between AZN 2 – AZN 5, according to competition round (for example preliminary or final), seat category, and venue.

### Volunteers

Organisers aimed to recruit 12,500 volunteers to play roles during the Games, including assisting athletes and dignitaries, working at sport competitions, or providing assistance to spectators or the media. Baku 2015 European Games volunteers were called Flamekeepers. 6,000 Ceremonies Performers voluntarily took part in the opening and closing ceremonies.

### Closing ceremony

The Closing Ceremony was held on 28 June in the National Stadium. James Hadley was the Artistic Director and Christian Steinhäuser was the Music Director of the Closing Ceremony.

## Games
### Participating NOCs

50 national olympic committees participated in this European Games edition, including the Olympic Committee of Kosovo in its first time at a wide multi-sport event. Since the Faroe Islands and Gibraltar are not members of the European Olympic Committee, the Faroese participants occurred for the Ligue Européenne de Natation and the Gibraltar participants for the Athletic Association of Small States of Europe.
* Participating National Olympic Committees
* Albania (28)
* Andorra (31)
* Armenia (25)
* Austria (143)
* Azerbaijan (290) (hosts)
* Belarus (152)
* Belgium (118)
* Bosnia and Herzegovina (56)
* Bulgaria (127)
* Croatia (106)
* Cyprus (23)
* Czech Republic (130)
* Denmark (65)
* Estonia (58)
* Faroe Islands (5)*
* Finland (106)
* France (250)
* Georgia (105)
* Germany (270)
* Gibraltar (5)*
* Great Britain (160)
* Greece (138)
* Hungary (201)
* Iceland (19)
* Ireland (62)
* Israel (141)
* Italy (287)
* Kosovo (18)
* Latvia (67)
* Liechtenstein (10)
* Lithuania (74)
* Luxembourg (61)
* Macedonia (45)
* Malta (61)
* Moldova (87)
* Monaco (6)
* Montenegro (55)
* Netherlands (120)
* Norway (57)
* Poland (212)
* Portugal (100)
* Romania (147)
* Russia (353) (top nation)
* San Marino (18)
* Serbia (134)
* Slovakia (178)
* Slovenia (83)
* Spain (207)
* Sweden (75)
* Switzerland (130)
* Turkey (191)
* Ukraine (246)

### Sports

A total of 20 sports was represented: 16 Olympic sports, two Olympic sports contested only in non-Olympic formats (basketball and football) and two non-Olympic sports (karate and sambo). Two para-sport events were contested judo. Twelve of the sports (archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, judo, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball, wrestling) would offer qualification opportunities for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. The aquatic sports are only open to junior-level competitors, and the athletics competition forms the third division of the European Team Championships.
* Aquatics
** Diving (8)
** Swimming (42)
** Synchronised swimming (4)
** Water polo (2)
* Archery (5)
* Athletics (1)
* Badminton (5)
* Basketball (3x3) (2)
* Beach soccer (1)
* Boxing (15)
* Canoe sprint (15)
* Cycling
** BMX (2)
** Mountain biking (2)
** Road (4)
* Fencing (12)
* Gymnastics
** Acrobatic (6)
** Aerobic (2)
** Artistic (14)
** Rhythmic (8)
** Trampoline (4)
* Judo (16)
** Para-Judo (2)
* Karate (12)
* Sambo (8)
* Shooting (19)
* Table tennis (4)
* Taekwondo (8)
* Triathlon (2)
* Volleyball
** Beach (2)
** Indoor (2)
* Wrestling
** Freestyle (16)
** Greco-Roman (8)

### Calendar

The competition schedule consists of 253 events.
| OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Event finals | CC | Closing ceremony |
| June | June | 12th Fri | 13th Sat | 14th Sun | 15th Mon | 16th Tue | 17th Wed | 18th Thu | 19th Fri | 20th Sat | 21st Sun | 22nd Mon | 23rd Tue | 24th Wed | 25th Thu | 26th Fri | 27th Sat | 28th Sun | Medal Events |
| Ceremonies | Ceremonies | OC | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CC | |
| Archery | Archery | | | | | ● | 1 | 2 | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | 5 |
| Athletics | Athletics | | | | | | | | | | ● | 1 | | | | | | | 1 |
| Badminton | Badminton | | | | | | | | | | | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Basketball (3x3) | Basketball (3x3) | | | | | | | | | | | | ● | ● | ● | 2 | | | 2 |
| Beach soccer | Beach soccer | | | | | | | | | | | | | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 |
| Boxing | Boxing | | | | | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 5 | 5 | 5 | | 15 |
| Canoe sprint | Canoe sprint | | | ● | 5 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 15 |
| Cycling | BMX | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ● | ● | 2 | 8 |
| Cycling | Mountain biking | | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Cycling | Road cycling | | | | | | | 2 | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Diving | Diving | | | | | | | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Fencing | Fencing | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | | 12 |
| Gymnastics | Gymnastics | | | ● | 2 | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 16 | | | | | | | | 34 |
| Judo | Judo | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 5 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 18 |
| Karate | Karate | | 6 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 |
| Sambo | Sambo | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | | | | | | | 8 |
| Shooting | Shooting | | | | | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | 19 |
| Swimming | Swimming | | | | | | | | | | | | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 11 | | 42 |
| Synchronised swimming | Synchronised swimming | ● | ● | ● | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| Table tennis | Table tennis | | ● | ● | 2 | ● | ● | ● | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| Taekwondo | Taekwondo | | | | | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| Triathlon | Triathlon | | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Volleyball | Volleyball | | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Water polo | Water polo | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Wrestling | Wrestling | | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | 24 |
| Total | Total | | 13 | 11 | 15 | 21 | 11 | 16 | 11 | 18 | 25 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 23 | 27 | 9 | 253 |
| June | June | 12th Fri | 13th Sat | 14th Sun | 15th Mon | 16th Tue | 17th Wed | 18th Thu | 19th Fri | 20th Sat | 21st Sun | 22nd Mon | 23rd Tue | 24th Wed | 25th Thu | 26th Fri | 27th Sat | 28th Sun | Medal Events |

## Medal table

* Host nation (Azerbaijan)
2015 European Games medal table :
| Rank | NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Russia (RUS) | 79 | 40 | 45 | 164 |
| 2 | Azerbaijan (AZE)* | 21 | 15 | 20 | 56 |
| 3 | Great Britain (GBR) | 18 | 11 | 18 | 47 |
| 4 | Germany (GER) | 16 | 17 | 33 | 66 |
| 5 | France (FRA) | 12 | 13 | 18 | 43 |
| 6 | Italy (ITA) | 10 | 26 | 11 | 47 |
| 7 | Belarus (BLR) | 10 | 11 | 22 | 43 |
| 8 | Ukraine (UKR) | 8 | 14 | 24 | 46 |
| 9 | Netherlands (NED) | 8 | 12 | 9 | 29 |
| 10 | Spain (ESP) | 8 | 11 | 11 | 30 |
| 11–42 | Remaining | 63 | 83 | 128 | 274 |
| Totals (42 entries) | Totals (42 entries) | 253 | 253 | 339 | 845 |

### Podium sweeps

| Date | Sport | Event | Team | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 13 June | Cycling | Men's cross country | Switzerland | Nino Schurter | Lukas Flückiger | Fabian Giger |

## Broadcasting

The International Sports Broadcasting (ISB) and Olympic Broadcasting Services are the host broadcasters of the European Games. During the Games, ISB was anticipated to produce 800 hours of broadcast coverage.

### Europe

* Albania – Tring Media
* Austria – ORF
* Azerbaijan – AzTV
* Belarus – BTRC
* Belgium – Sport 10
* Bulgaria – BNT HD
* Croatia – SPTV
* Czech Republic – Czech Television • DigiSport
* Denmark – TV 2
* Estonia – ERR
* Finland – Yle
* France and Monaco – L'Equipe 21
* Georgia – GPB
* Germany – Sport1
* Greece – ERT
* Hungary – DigiSport
* Ireland – Setanta Sports
* Israel – Sport 5 • Sport1
* Italy – Sky Sport
* Kosovo – RTK
* Latvia – LTV
* Lithuania – TV6
* Luxembourg – RTL Group
* Moldova – Moldova Sport TV
* Macedonia – MKRTV
* Netherlands – NOS
* Norway – TV 2
* Poland – Polsat
* Portugal – Sport TV
* Romania – DigiSport
* Russia – Russia-2 • Sport-1
* Serbia – RTS
* Slovakia – DigiSport
* Slovenia – Šport TV
* Spain – RTVE
* Switzerland – Sport1
* Turkey – NTV Spor
* United Kingdom – BT Sport
* Ukraine – NTU

#### Rest of the world

* Africa – Fox Sports Africa
* Angola – Sport TV
* Arab States – ASBU
* Australia – Seven Network
* Canada – Universal Sports
* China – CCTV
* Cuba – ICRT
* Hong Kong – TVB
* India – NEO Sports
* Iran – GEM GROUP
* Japan – TBS
* Latin America – América Móvil
* Mozambique – Sport TV
* South Korea – SBS
* New Zealand – Sky Sport
* Turkmenistan – Setanta Sports
* United States – ESPN
* Uzbekistan – Setanta Sports

## Controversies
### Human rights situation and media bans

Amnesty International have been a vocal critic of the Baku 2015 European Games, stating in March 2015, "Azerbaijan may be a safe country for athletes taking part in the 100 metres, but defending rights and free speech is a dangerous game here. Those who champion them receive harassment and prison sentences instead of medals.". In August 2014, the human rights organisation highlighted the 24 prisoners of conscience being held in Azerbaijan prisons as an example of abuses. Western countries also criticized Aliyev's intention to close the OSCE offices in Baku.
In June 2015, The Guardian reported that its own reporters, along with those of other media outlets, had been barred from entering Baku to cover the games. Human Rights Watch, in the same article, stated it had observed "the worst crackdown the country has seen in the post-Soviet era".
Most European heads of state and government refused to participate at the opening ceremony, sending mid- or low-level representatives instead. Among those who did participate were Vladimir Putin of Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey, Aleksander Lukashenko of Belarus, Boyko Borisov of Bulgaria and Victor Ponta of Romania. Ponta and Borisov faced criticism at home for their participation.

### Bus accident

During the games there was a road accident where a coach driver drove into a group of young Austrian athletes by mixing up the accelerator and brake pedals, with the incident recorded by a surveillance camera. 15-year-old Austrian synchronized swimmer Vanessa Sahinovic and her teammates Lisa Breit and Luna Pajer were injured. Sahinovic was placed in an induced coma and flown to Vienna for emergency surgery. Sahinovic was left paraplegic in the accident. Because of the accident, Austria had to withdraw from the team competition. In the synchronized swimming duet competition, sisters Anna-Maria and Eirini-Maria Alexandri won the silver medal, which they dedicated to the injured teammates. The police officer who released the video of the surveillance camera was relieved of his duties. Sahinovic is recovering, and is supported by an initiative of Austrian swimmers and a fundraising campaign.

## Marketing
### Logo and mascots

The official logo for the 2015 European Games was unveiled on 16 June 2014. Designed by Adam Yunusov, it was inspired by country's ancient and contemporary culture. The logo includes flame, water, the mythical Simurgh bird, an Azerbaijani carpet and a pomegranate as one of the symbols of Azerbaijani profusion. The pomegranate, called Nar (pomegranate in Azerbaijani), is one of two mascots for the Games, along with a gazelle named Jeyran (gazelle in Azerbaijani). The couple are intended to represent the spirit of Azerbaijan and help excite the youth for the event.

### Brand and visual identity

The brand incorporates traditional Azerbaijani imagery with images and colours designed to evoke a European sporting feel. The pomegranate tree, whose fruit juice is one of Azerbaijan's main exports, features heavily. The brand was created with legacy potential in mind, possibly inspired by the way the Commonwealth Games’ branding retains a similar feel each year.
As Azerbaijan as a state sponsored Spanish football club Atlético Madrid at that time, this European Games was advertised on the club's kits during the later half of their 2014–15 season.

### Sponsors

On 21 May 2014, Procter & Gamble became the first official partner of the inaugural European Games. Swiss watchmaker Tissot has been named the official timekeeper and will provide all timing and scoring services. On 13 November 2014, Motorola Solutions also teamed up with Baku 2015 as the Official Radio Communications Supporter.
| Official partners | Official supporters | Official child rights organisation |
| Azerbaijan Airlines BP Coca-Cola Kapital Bank Nar Mobile Procter & Gamble SOCAR Tissot | Azercosmos Azersun Bazar Store McDonald's Milla Motorola Solutions NAZ Nestlé Red Bull Sitecore Tickethour | UNICEF |

## Torch relay

On Sunday 26 April the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, captured the official flame of the Baku 2015 European Games. The flame had visited 60 locations until the final torchbearer entered the National Stadium for the Opening Ceremony on 12 June.

### Route

* 26 April (day 1)
    Ateshgah
* 27 April (day 2)
    Nakhchivan
* 29 April (day 3)
    Lankaran
* 1 May (day 4)
    Lerik
    Astara
* 2 May (day 5)
    Yardimli
    Jalilabad
* 3 May (day 6)
    Bilesuvar
    Masalli
* 4 May (day 7)
    Salyan
    Neftchala
* 5 May (day 8)
    Shirvan
    Hajigabul
* 6 May (day 9)
    Saatli
    Sabirabad
* 7 May (day 10)
    Imishli
    Horadiz
* 9 May (day 11)
    Beylagan
    Gunesli
* 10 May (day 12)
    Agjabedi
    Khojavend
* 12 May (day 13)
    Zardab
    Terter
* 13 May (day 14)
    Yevlakh
    Barda
* 14 May (day 15)
    Goranboy
    Naftalan
* 15 May (day 16)
    Goygol
    Ganja
* 16 May (day 17)
    Dashkasan
    Samukh
* 18 May (day 18)
    Gazakh
    Agstafa
* 19 May (day 19)
    Tovuz
    Gadabay
* 20 May (day 20)
    Shamkir
* 21 May (day 21)
    Ujar
    Goychay
* 22 May (day 22)
    Agdash
    Mingachevir
* 23 May (day 23)
    Balaken
    Zagatala
* 24 May (day 24)
    Gakh
* 25 May (day 25)
    Oghuz
    Sheki
* 26 May (day 26)
    Ismayilli
    Gabala
* 27 May (day 27)
    Kurdemir
* 29 May (day 28)
    Aghsu
* 30 May (day 29)
    Gobustan
    Shamakhi
* 31 May (day 30)
    Sumgayit
    Khizi
* 1 June (day 31)
    Gusar
    Guba
* 3 June (day 32)
    Khachmaz
* 4 June (day 33)
    Shabran
* 5 June (day 34)
    Siyazan
    Khirdalan
* 6 June (day 35)
    Gobustan National Park
* 7-11 June (days 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40)
    Baku
* 12 June (day 41)
    Baku National Stadium