U.S. official resigns a year before first European Games

European sports officials have hit a snag in their effort to stage a smaller version of the Olympics.

The top official for the inaugural 2015 European Games has resigned his post about a year before the competition is scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Jim Scherr, the former chief executive for the U.S. Olympic Committee, decided to return home to spend time with his family and continue work with a marketing agency he founded.

“I’m in no doubt that I leave the organization in a fantastic position to deliver a successful European Games in Baku next summer,” AzerNews quoted him as saying.

Scherr will be replaced by Simon Clegg, a former British Olympic official.

The European Games were created in 2012 by the European Olympic Committee. As many as 6,000 athletes are expected to participate in 19 sports at the June 2015 competition.