With the lighting of the tripod by the Bosnian judoka Larisa Cerić, the curtain was raised on the 14th edition of the Winter EYOFs, scheduled until 16 February in Sarajevo and East Sarajevo. "We create together" was the slogan of the ceremony that took place at the "Asim Ferhatović Hase" Olympic Stadium , in a country that after the Balkan War retied its five circle bond that was waved over three decades ago on that same stage on the occasion of the 1984 Winter Olympic Games in Sarajevo. Amongst the 46 countries present, to captain the Italian delegation - comprising 37 Italian athletes (18 men and 19 women) - was the standard-bearer Elisa Confortola, bronze medalist in the short-track relay at 2018 Tomaszow Mazowiecki and 2019 Montreal Junior World Championships.

The first medals in the eight disciplines scheduled for the event dedicated to athletes between 14 and 18 have already been awarded today.