The European Games are set to begin but do they really matter?

A team of 121 Irish athletes will compete across 17 sports in Poland between Wednesday June 21 and Sunday July 2.

GAME ON: Thomas Barr of Ireland during a practice session at Henryk Jordana Park ahead of the European Games 2023 in Krakow, Poland. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

If the European Games sounds a little contrived, a tad makey-uppy, a slightly confusing and complicated addition to the deluge of sport across your screens this summer, then you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that.

What is it? (Open itals) Why (Close itals) is it? These are questions even those who love Olympic sport still struggle to answer. Essentially, it’s an attempt to create a continental Olympics, but one that’s still missing a fair few key sports like rowing, gymnastics and swimming.