Minsk to host second edition of European Games

Minsk, Belarus is set to host the 2019 European Games, the president Alexander Lukashenko confirmed.

The Netherlands was originally chosen to host the tournament, but pulled out before the first edition of the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan citing financial reasons.

“We are not a superpower but we pay a lot of attention to sport,” said Lukashenku, stressing Azerbaijan’s ability to organise a top sporting event, “I want our European organisation to be as good as the organisations of other continents, including the International Olympic Committee. In this regard I am a nationalist and a patriot.

The last edition of the Games saw Baku spend $1.2bn (£700m), and despite the Danish Olympic Committee asking to postpone the decision due to a lack of clarity over financing, the decision for Minsk to host was passed easily with 43 Olympic committees voting in favour of the motion.

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