QOC President and ANOC Senior Vice-President HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani attended the Opening Ceremony of the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023 to show his support for European National Olympic Committees (ENOC) and their athletes. Almost 7,000 athletes from 48 ENOCs are set to compete in 26 sports over 11 days of competition in Poland. Among them will be the first ever EOC Refugee Team. As a board member of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF), His Excellency expressed his full support of the initiative which represents the first time a Refugee Team has competed at a continental game. The European Games 2023 ‘Krakow-Malopolska’ also has a number of new sport disciplines such as padel, teqball, muay thai, kickboxing, beach handball, rugby sevens and ski jumping. The Games will be watched with special interest by fans tracking the progress of teams and athletes on the ‘Road to Paris 2024’, with 17 sports and disciplines offering either direct quotas or ranking points for 2024 Olympic Games. The European Games are being held in 13 cities and towns in the Malopolska region in southern Poland.