With just a few days to go before the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), a group of 54 young British athletes are preparing to take part in what promises to be a formative and unforgettable experience. From 20 to 26 July in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, these promising athletes aged between 13 and 18 will proudly represent the United Kingdom across ten different sports. For many, it will be their first taste of a large-scale international multi-sport event : a crucial first step toward the Olympic future that so many of them dream of.
A Talent Pool Shaping the Future of British Sport
This year’s UK delegation is the largest to attend the EYOF since 2009. Each of the 54 athletes comes with a unique sporting background and trajectory. Gymnast Uzair Chowdhury is one of the standout names, having already captured two gold medals at the 2024 Junior European Gymnastics Championships. At just 16 years old, he is one of several young British athletes determined to establish themselves on the continental stage.
Chowdhury will reunite with two of his teammates from the European team title — Zakaine Fawzi-McCaffrey and Evan McPhillips. Together, they form a core group expected to challenge for top honours in Skopje and add to the growing prestige of British gymnastics at the junior level.
But at this stage of their development, the stakes go beyond the simple pursuit of medals. For many young athletes, the EYOF represents a pivotal checkpoint in the long journey to the Olympic Games. Previous British greats such as Nile Wilson, Dina Asher-Smith and Duncan Scott once competed at this very festival before achieving Olympic success.
This year’s athletes are well aware of the path they are beginning to walk. Swimmer Kaiden Hitchins expressed his excitement at being selected:
“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 Scott’s footsteps, but hopefully I can use this experience as a huge stepping stone for the rest of my career like he did.”
Swimming is expected to be one of the United Kingdom’s strongest suits once again. At the 2023 EYOF, British swimmers claimed 15 medals — the second-highest tally of the competition behind Italy. More recently, the British junior team topped the medal table at the European Junior Swimming Championships, a clear indication that the UK remains a powerhouse in the pool.
Disciplines to Watch : Cycling, Taekwondo and More
Alongside swimming and gymnastics, British athletes are also expected to perform strongly in cycling, with both road and track events on the programme. Taekwondo will also make its debut at the EYOF this year, providing another exciting avenue for British athletes to make their mark.
Recent editions of the festival have proved to be a stepping stone for some of the UK’s brightest rising stars. Cyclist Cat Ferguson claimed silver medals in both the road race and time trial at the 2022 EYOF, and has since gone on to become a multi-time junior world champion across both road and track disciplines. Similarly, Erin Boothman, who medalled in the time trial last year, has since established herself as a dominant force on the velodrome with several junior world titles.
Gymnast Ruby Evans, another recent British breakout, claimed silver on floor at the European Juniors and was selected for the Olympic Games in Paris at just 17 — highlighting how rapidly a talent can progress from the youth stage to the very highest level.
As for swimming, which continues to be the UK’s most prolific medal-winning sport at youth level, several alumni of the festival have recently broken through onto the world stage. Theodora Taylor and Jacob Mills, who both competed at previous EYOF editions, will represent the United Kingdom later this month at the World Junior Championships in Singapore. Filip Nowacki, Dean Fearn and Amelie Blocksidge — all recently crowned European champions — also began their international journey at the EYOF.
Full British squad for the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival
Artistic Gymnastics
- Helena Finc, 14, Bedworth
- Lexi Holmes, 14, Cardiff
- Jenitha Johnson, 13, Milton Keynes
- Uzair Chowdhury, 15, Harpenden
- Zakaine Fawzi-Mccaffrey, 17, Nottingham
- Evan McPhillips, 17, Bury
Badminton
- Ishasriya Mekala, 16, Cardiff
- Kalyan Manoj, 16, Milton Keynes
Basketball (3×3)
- Bo Guttormsdottir-Frost, 16, East Moseley
- Maisie Keyes, 17, Stockport
- Irene Oboavwoduo, 17, Manchester
- Haley Wright, 17, Valencia
Canoe Slalom
- Sophie Forster, 15, Nottingham
- Chloe Holmes, 14, Northwich
- Jake Mitchell, 15, Hereford
Judo
- Taylor Chrisp, 16, Blyth
- Sara Coni, 16, London
- Coen Gilbert, 16, Bathgate
- Vasiliy Menshykov, 17, Inverurie
- Jack Milligan, 16, Wallasey
- Lenny Tancock, 17, Bishop’s Stortford
Mountain Biking
- Orla White, 17, Tavistock
- Luke Trafford, 15, Holmfirth
Road Cycling
- Peggy Knox, 16, London
- Rose Lewis, 16, Birmingham
- Melanie Rowe, 16, Banchory
- William Coles, 15, Llandovery
- Daniel Davies, 16, Penarth
- Finlay Storrie, 16, Bridgend
Swimming
- Lois Child, 15, Leeds
- Lydia Cordle, 14, Derby
- Jasmine Hall, 15, Old Harlow
- Josephine Lawn, 15, Bromley
- Lili Mundell, 15, Galashiels
- Olivia Robins, 15, Stourbridge
- Gisella Silano, 15, Haslemere
- Darcey Smith, 15, Fareham
- Benjamin Beale, 15, Durham
- Kaiden Hitchins, 15, Smethwick
- Austyn Manley, 15, Derby
- Patryk Przyczyna, 15, Eastbourne
- Nikolai Sisnett, 15, Glasgow
- Tyler Stone, 15, Norwich
- Xander Tovey, 15, Dunchurch
- William Wilson, 14, Leeds
Table Tennis
- Sienna Jetha, 16, Watford
- Abraham Sellado, 15, Bradford
Taekwondo
- Fabio Carvalho, 14, London
- Lauren Dunsmore, 17, Cumbernauld
- Monika Ilieva, 15, Craigavon
- Lily Kingsley, 17, Southampton
- Paige Vincent, 15, Poole
- Antonio Buonaiuto, 16, London
- Max Cartwright, 16, Larbert