Taking place from August 2 to 12, Glasgow 2018 will see around 3,000 athletes compete across 84 sessions in six sports - aquatics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon - at 12 venues around Scotland.

The new multi-sport event, considered to be the biggest of its kind to be staged in Scotland since the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, is set to celebrate the country’s young talent and achievers and coincides with the Year of Young People.

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"The Glasgow 2018 European Championships promises to be a fantastic platform to inspire, engage and celebrate young people - from sports fans and athletes to artists, performers and volunteers," Aitken said during the 200-days-to-go celebrations.

"In 200 days, Glasgow and Scotland will come alive with an unforgettable display of sport and culture that is a must-attend, must-watch event for 2018."

Six rising stars, representing each of the sports, have expressed their hope that the profile of Glasgow 2018 will help inspire more young people to get active. 

Among them is 18-year-old Glaswegian Mia Paton, who will benefit from the new Olympic-standard BMX track being built at Knightswood Park for the European Championships.

Fraser Lynes, a 14-year-old gymnast from East Ayrshire who studies and trains at Glasgow School of Sport, believes the Glasgow 2018 action at the SSE Hydro will help encourage more people get into gymnastics and demonstrate the benefits of sport.

He already has a collection of medals to his name, having represented Scotland in the sport on several occasions.

Troon golfing talent Hazel MacGarvie, 19-year-old University of Edinburgh rower Josh Armstrong, 13-year-old diver Danny Mabbott and 18-year old triathlete Iona Miller from Inverclyde are also said to be full of anticipation for Glasgow 2018 and the momentum they hope it will build within each of their sports.

"Twenty-eighteen marks a milestone year for Scotland," said Fiona Hyslop, Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs.

"In just 200 days we will make sporting history on the global stage when we host the first-ever European Championships and in Scotland's Year of Young People, celebrate the outstanding spirit and contribution of our young people.

"The feats of sporting skill and the cultural brilliance showcased at the Championships will inspire the whole country and allow Scotland and its young people to shine on the world stage."

The first-ever edition of the quadrennial event will bring together the existing European Championships for aquatics, cycling, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon, and a new Golf Team Championships.

Athletics will be staged in Germany's capital Berlin.

Audiences are expected to reach up to 1.03 billion.

It was confirmed late last year that Glasgow 2018 are set to invest £750,000 ($1 million/€843,000) in individual artists and organisations as part of their Festival 2018 initiative at the European Championships.

Festival 2018 will be a cultural programme showcasing music, visual art, street art, dance, theatre and digital art across the city, with Glasgow's George Square at its heart.

A total of 34 projects have been backed by Glasgow 2018, with 10 different art forms claimed to have been represented by organisers.

This features 19 direct celebrations of the Year of Young People, artists and performers aged between 10 and 87-years-old, and a broad range of cultural expressions for audiences across Scotland.

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