Britain is sending its largest youth Olympic squad to the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) this summer – a powerful testament to the rising tide of British sporting excellence.
The British Olympic Association (BOA) has proudly unveiled the 54 young athletes who will wear the iconic Team GB kit in Skopje, North Macedonia, from 20th to 26th July 2025.
All aged between 13 and 18, the promising stars will represent Great Britain in 10 of the 15 sports on the EYOF programme, including gymnastics, swimming, judo, cycling and, for the first time, basketball 3×3 and canoe slalom.
Athletes will compete mainly in Skopje, with cycling events held in Kumanovo, and artistic gymnastics taking place across the border in Osijek, Croatia – reinforcing Team GB’s growing influence across Europe.
“It’s always an honour to represent Great Britain… but being selected for Team GB specifically takes it to another level and that feels amazing,” said basketballer Irene Oboavwoduo, 17, from Manchester.
“I’VE NEVER BEEN TO A MULTI-SPORT EVENT LIKE THIS BEFORE, SO IT FEELS VERY DIFFERENT. I’M REALLY EXCITED TO MEET LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND SPORTS.”
This year’s rising stars are following in the illustrious footsteps of Team GB legends like Dina Asher-Smith, Nile Wilson, and Duncan Scott – the latter now Britain’s most decorated EYOF graduate with eight Olympic medals.
Kaiden Hitchins, a 15-year-old swimmer from Smethwick, is already dreaming big:
“I’m over the moon to be selected for Team GB. I’m sure I could speak for every British athlete when I say it’s one of those things you dream about happening.”
“IT FEELS SURREAL TO BE FOLLOWING IN DUNCAN’S [SCOTT] FOOTSTEPS, BUT HOPEFULLY I CAN USE THIS EXPERIENCE AS A HUGE STEPPING STONE FOR THE REST OF MY CAREER LIKE HE DID.”
A STAGE FOR FUTURE CHAMPIONS
Rachel Smith, a 2012 Olympian and Team GB’s newly appointed Chef de Mission, emphasised the importance of the event:
“It is a genuine honour to be named Chef de Mission for Team GB at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Skopje… The EYOF represents more than just a competition; it is where many of our Olympians began their journey.”
“Skopje 2025 will provide our next generation of athletes with a valuable introduction to a multi-sport environment and a platform to continue exploring their own version of extraordinary.”
Olympic gold medallist Anna Hopkin, who stormed to victory in the 4x100m mixed medley relay at Tokyo 2020, will serve as the official Athlete Ambassador.
“I have always been very passionate about sport and Team GB is such an incredibly special team. To have the chance to hopefully inspire and pass on knowledge to the next generation is something that I am really looking forward to.”
“Having been just like our young athletes working hard and dreaming of the future, I know exactly how they are feeling.”
THE FUTURE OF BRITISH SPORT
The 54 athletes will now prepare to fly the Union flag with pride, joining over 4,000 athletes from 48 European countries in a competition designed to inspire Olympic dreams and forge lifelong memories.
From Lexi Holmes in Cardiff (gymnastics) to Antonio Buonaiuto in London (taekwondo), these young Brits represent the very best of our nation’s future athletic hopes. And with rising stars like Sophie Forster (canoe slalom) and Sienna Jetha (table tennis) on the team sheet, the competition better take note – Team GB means business.
FULL SQUAD:
Artistic Gymnastics
Helena Finc, Lexi Holmes, Jenitha Johnson, Uzair Chowdhury, Zakaine Fawzi-Mccaffrey, Evan McPhillips
Badminton
Ishasriya Mekala, Kalyan Manoj
Basketball (3×3)
Bo Guttormsdottir-Frost, Maisie Keyes, Irene Oboavwoduo, Haley Wright
Canoe Slalom
Sophie Forster, Chloe Holmes, Jake Mitchell
Judo
Taylor Chrisp, Sara Coni, Coen Gilbert, Vasiliy Menshykov, Jack Milligan, Lenny Tancock
Mountain Biking
Orla White, Luke Trafford
Road Cycling
Peggy Knox, Rose Lewis, Melanie Rowe, William Coles, Daniel Davies, Finlay Storrie
Swimming
Lois Child, Lydia Cordle, Jasmine Hall, Josephine Lawn, Lili Mundell, Olivia Robins, Gisella Silano, Darcey Smith, Benjamin Beale, Kaiden Hitchins, Austyn Manley, Patryk Przyczyna, Nikolai Sisnett, Tyler Stone, Xander Tovey, William Wilson
Table Tennis
Sienna Jetha, Abraham Sellado
Taekwondo
Lauren Dunsmore, Monika Ilieva, Lily Kingsley, Paige Vincent, Antonio Buonaiuto, Max Cartwright, Fabio Carvalho
With Team GB’s future in safe hands, all eyes now turn to Skopje – and there’s every reason to believe we’ll see history in the making.
Main Image: For illustration purposes only. Image created with AI.
