EOC PRESIDENT EOC Newsletter
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EOC Newsletter No. 198 January 2020 MESSAGE FROM THE EOC PRESIDENT Dear colleagues, At the EOC Executive Committee’s first meeting of this Olympic year, I took the opportunity to explain our decision to file a request for an intervention and amicus curiae brief in the appeal by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Our intention is solely to ensure that the interests of the National Olympic Committees of Europe and clean athletes in particular are duly considered. It is the duty of the EOC to protect the interests of European sport and all our members, which counts among them the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). We will take a constructive approach to the CAS proceedings and will remain neutral throughout as we seek a conclusion that is honest and based on the main principles of international law. Our presence at CAS will be legal only, with the EOC represented by the Chair of our Legal Affairs Commission, Marc Theisen. We are not going there to make politics. We will, however, support our member, the ROC. As of now, we have seen no evidence that the NOC has done anything wrong. We therefore wish to see justice prevail, and that all those who are guilty of doping offences be punished without exception, while all those who are innocent be spared punishment. It is in our own interest that justice and the rule of law prevails not only in this case but also for any similar cases in the future. We call for an honest trial and arbitration, and we will do whatever we can to help. Working together with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), we will continue to pursue a zero-tolerance policy toward doping in sport and follow measures to protect the clean athletes as outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020. Together we will fight to protect the integrity of the Olympic Movement, its universality (meaning all nations are present at the Olympic Games), and to ensure that the world’s greatest athletes compete at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 this summer. I would like to repeat that the EOC is not taking sides in the case between RUSADA and WADA. We are merely seeking the strict sanctioning of doping offenders and the strict protection of clean sport. Best regards. Janez Kocijančič EOC President 1 EOC NEWSLETTER January 2020 EOC Kocijančič urges Executive Committee to build on successes of 2019 in new decade The Executive Committee (ExCo) of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) held its first meeting of the year on 28 January 2020 at the new headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland. EOC President Janez Kocijančič opened the meeting by praising the work of the 50 European National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the staff of the EOC, and especially the organisers of the four EOC sporting events held in 2019 (Minsk European Games, EYOF Sarajevo & East Sarajevo, EYOF Baku and Games of the Small States of Europe Montenegro). IOC President Thomas Bach welcomed the Executive Committee Members to the Olympic House and addressed a number of issues of importance to the Olympic Movement in Europe and around the world. These included the protection of the European Model of Sport, the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the importance of Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits any kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda at the Games. Read more Despite a busy 2019, no plans for EOC Sports Director to slow down in 2020 Peter Brüll was appointed Sports Director of the EOC in May 2019, just in time for one of the busiest periods ever for the continental organisation. Having played a key role in the sporting successes of the previous year, including the Minsk 2019 European Games and the Baku 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), Brüll says he comes into the new year brimming with high expectations. “I am satisfied with all the work that has been done so far, but we need to continue on this wave and aim even higher,” said Brüll, reflecting on his first eight months working at the EOC and his plans for the future of the organisation. Brüll brings great expertise to the EOC in the planning, management and delivery of major sporting events. His work is mainly centred on building strong ties with the 50 NOCs of Europe and the International and European Federations in order to define a consistent sports programme for EOC events. Since May 2019, he has held meetings with the majority of the European NOCs and several European and International Federations, including European Athletics, Badminton Europe, the European Canoe Association (ECA), the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC), the European Union of Gymnastics (UEG), the European Handball Federation (EHF), the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the European Judo Union (EJU), Rugby Europe, the European and International Triathlon Union (ETU & ITU), and the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV). “All the meetings were very fruitful,” he said. “I had the chance to understand their needs, match the different perspectives and try to dovetail them with those of the EOC.” Read more 2 January 2020 EOC NEWSLETTER EOC teams up with ASOIF The EOC has launched a partnership agreement with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The deal was signed by EOC President Janez Kocijančič and ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 29 January 2020. From its branch office in Brussels, the EOC will help to strengthen cooperation between ASOIF and EU institutions, protecting the important role of International Federations (IFs) and fully tapping into the potential of sport. “We are very happy with this new partnership,” Kocijančič stated. “The Olympic Movement and organised sport must speak with one voice towards the European institutions. The future cooperation with ASOIF should be regarded as an important step in this direction. I am sure all partners will benefit from this agreement.” Read more PIOTR NUROWSKI PRIZE – 2017 Best European Young Athlete, Estonian Kelly Sildaru, crowned freestyle skiing champion at Lausanne 2020 Estonian freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru, winner of the 2017 Piotr Nurowski Prize, continues to shine as she clinched a gold medal in slopestyle at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Lausanne on 18 January 2020. The 17-year-old earned 91.25 points in the first run and raised the bar even higher when she scored 93.75 points in the second run and 71.50 points in the final run. “I’m really happy because this is my first Olympic gold medal,” said Sildaru, who missed the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games through injury. “It was awesome to put my runs down. I think this experience will definitely help me [at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022].” Read more COMMISSIONS The EOC Olympic Games Commission, chaired by Chingiz Huseynzada, was hosted by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) at its headquarters on 17 January 2020, on the sidelines of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games. After a welcome address by ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg, discussions mainly focused on feedback from the ANOC World Beach Games in Doha, the Continental Games as part of the Olympic Games qualification process, the European Model of Sport, Rule 40 and Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, and the Tokyo 2020 pre-delegation registration meeting (Pre-DRM), which will be held at the next EOC Seminar in Slovakia in May. The EOC Olympic Culture and Legacy Commission, led by Vice President of the Finnish Olympic Committee Susanna Rahkamo, also has an upcoming meeting, at the EOC headquarters in Rome on 6 February 2020. 3 EOC NEWSLETTER January 2020 EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC FESTIVAL FROM SARAJEVO 2019 TO LAUSANNE 2020 Around 200 European athletes who competed in last year’s European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) Sarajevo and East Sarajevo were at Lausanne 2020 to challenge their peers on a global level. Six medal winners from Sarajevo and East Sarajevo 2019 finished on the podium in Lausanne: • Nick PÜNTER (SUI) – Snowboard, Bronze (Slopestyle) • Caitlin McFARLANE (FRA) Alpine Skiing, Silver (Super G) • Mathieu GARCIA (FRA) Biathlon, 1 Gold (Single Mixed Relay) and 2 Bronze (Individual 12,5 km and Mixed Relay) • Michelle VELZEBOER (NED) Short Track Speed Skating(500m), Silver • Annika MORGAN (GER). Snowboard (Big Air), Silver • Amanda SALZGEBER (AUT) Alpine Skiing, 1 Gold (Alpine Combined), 2 Bronze (Giant Slalom and Team Event) WINTER VUOKATTI 2021 – Siberian jay unveiled as mascot The Winter EYOF Vuokatti 2021 Organising Committee has unveiled its mascot - a Siberian Jay, a native of the coniferous forests of the Kainuu region and said to bring good luck. This little bird is also known to be friendly and brave by nature. The mascot does not have a name as yet, and YOU have the chance to name it by taking part in a social media competition. Go to the mascot’s post on the EYOF Vuokatti 2021 Instagram or Facebook account and send in your suggestion before the deadline of 5 February 2020! What’s the prize? All the participants who comment on the post on the EYOF 2021 Vuokatti Instagram or Facebook account with a suggestion for a name will automatically be entered into a lottery, in which they could win an accommodation gift card worth €450 for the Hotel Aateli in Vuokatti, as well as two ski lift tickets to the slopes of Vuokatti. After the deadline, a jury comprising members of the EYOF 2021 Vuokatti Organising Committee will select the best name for the mascot and the person who suggested it will be rewarded with a special prize.