The lizard ‘Doro’ will be the official mascot of EYOF Lignano 2027.

The official presentation took place in Trieste, alongside the Vice-President of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Mario Anzil

Ronchi dei Legionari, 26 June 2026. The lizard ‘Doro’ will be the official mascot of the summer edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival – EYOF Lignano 2027.

Several months ago, a call for entries was launched for the “Creative Ideas Competition for the Design of a Mascot for the EYOF Lignano 2027”. In April, the judging panel (Dr Rossella Rizzatto, Olympic champion and vice-president of EYOF 2027, Mara Navarria, Alessandro Miniussi of Emporio ADV, Prof. Adriano Lecce and Prof. Rossella Zentilin, the latter acting as secretary) opened the proposals contained in the envelopes and carried out the selection process, taking care to verify that they met the requirements set out in the competition notice.

A number of classes from the Liceo Artistico Sello in Udine took part. The jury selected the best entries from among those submitted. Following a careful assessment based on the consistency between the mascot’s defining features and the areas of focus, as well as the originality of the design, the jury finally reached a unanimous decision, drawing up a ranking and declaring the winner.

The winner was Valentina Polo from the 4M Visual Arts class, who designed the lizard ‘Doro’. The design was chosen for its striking originality and its ability to effectively incorporate the values of sport, the local area and the EYOF 2027 event. The mascot has a clear and recognisable identity, linked to Lignano Sabbiadoro, and makes consistent use of symbolic elements such as the lizard – an emblem of rebirth, growth and resilience – which is perfectly in keeping with the spirit of the athletes. Particular praise was given to the attention to detail and the thoughtful use of colours and the EYOF logo, which help to convey energy, movement and diversity. Furthermore, the graphic and narrative elements — such as the sports jersey, the reference to teamwork and the symbols of leadership and protection — make the design comprehensive, communicative and easily adaptable to the context of the event. Overall, ‘Doro’ stands out for its design coherence, expressive quality and ability to effectively represent both sporting values and the identity of the host region.

The winner will receive a prize of €1,000 to spend on educational materials.

A special mention goes to Sofia Michelini (Class 4M, Visual Arts) and Andrea Schneider (Class 3L, Visual Arts), creators of the jellyfish ‘Maddy’ and the hermit crab ‘Pagu’ respectively. They have each been awarded a prize of €500 to spend on educational materials.

PRESENTATIONS:

The Executive Chairman of EYOF Lignano 2027, Giorgio Brandolin, wished to thank the headteacher and teachers at the Liceo Artistico Sello for involving such a large number of students in the project. These young people have demonstrated their imagination, skill and vision. In the end, three finalists were selected, who nevertheless represent all the young people involved in the initiative.

The mayor of Lignano Sabbiadoro, Laura Giorgi, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the students and finalists with a touch of emotion. I had no idea – I hadn’t seen the graphic designs before this event in Trieste. Both the drawings and the descriptions perfectly capture the essence of Lignano and its surrounding area. Choosing the winner must have been incredibly difficult. We will now set about promoting the ‘Doro’ lizard over the coming days to get into the spirit of the Games, just over a year before they begin.

Mario Anzil, Vice-President of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia with responsibility for sport and culture, congratulated the pupils and teachers at the ‘Sello’ school on their excellent work. The lizard ‘Doro’, with its colours and design, embodies both artistic and sporting elements. The entries under consideration, and in particular the three finalists, are a splendid demonstration of our young people’s talent, which ties in perfectly with the sporting excellence that the European Youth Olympic Festival will showcase next summer in Lignano Sabbiadoro and five other locations in Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The figures for EYOF 2027:

14 sports, 50 sports venues, 4,000 participants including athletes (U18) and coaches, 48 nations, nearly 1,000 volunteers.

Venues:

Not only Lignano but six other towns in the region will host the competitions and events:

Lignano will host the 3×3 basketball matches (men’s and women’s – Piazzale Marcello d’Olivo in Lignano Pineta), the athletics events (men’s and women’s – Teghil Stadium), the golf events (men’s and women’s – Golf Club), the judo (women’s – EFA Bella Italia Village Sports Hall), swimming (men’s and women’s – EFA Bella Italia Village Swimming Pool), volleyball (men’s – Teghil Municipal Sports Hall), skateboarding (men’s and women’s – Skare Park) and triathlon (men’s and women’s). In Latisana, women’s volleyball (Sports Hall); in Rivignano, BMX (men’s and women’s – Friuli BMX Arena); in San Vito al Tagliamento, artistic gymnastics (men’s and women’s – Ligugnana Sports Hall); in San Giorgio di Nogaro, canoe sprint (men’s and women’s) and fencing (men’s and women’s – local sports hall); in Porpetto, clay pigeon shooting and target shooting (men’s and women’s); and in Trieste, handball (men’s and women’s – PalaCalvola and PalaChiarbola).

Pictured are the three student finalists alongside the Vice-President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Mario Anzil, the Executive President of EYOF 2027, Giorgio Brandolin, and the Mayor of Lignano Sabbiadoro, Laura Giorgi.