EOC Newsletter

No. 207 November 2020 MESSAGE FROM THE EOC ACTING PRESIDENT Dear colleagues,

Let me express my sincere gratitude to the 50 National Olympic Committees of Europe and the many valued partners of the European Olympic Committees for helping make our 49th General Assembly – the first held online – such a success.

Tangible progress for the betterment of the future of the Olympic Movement on our continent was made at the Assembly. I was especially pleased with the tremendous support shown for the two amendments to the EOC Articles of Association, which serve to strengthen the functioning of the EOC leadership while bringing the Executive Committee in line with the gender equality targets set forth in the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020.

The amendments will provide fresh energy to the EOC next spring, when elections for all Executive Board positions will be held at the 50th General Assembly in April in Greece. In addition to electing the next EOC President, our 50 ENOCs will also vote to ensure 30 percent gender representation on the ExCo, with a minimum of five members needing to be of each gender. This is a welcome step forward for our organisation and for sport in general across Europe.

Details on the preparations for 2021 General Assembly will be worked out by the Executive Committee at our next meeting at the beginning of the new year and communicated to you in due course. Work on the development of the EOC’s Strategic Agenda 2030 is also progressing smoothly, ably led by ExCo Member Djordje Visacki. Agenda 2030 is aimed at identifying the challenges and ambitions of the EOC and our 50 ENOCs while defining clear objectives for the future of the Olympic Movement in Europe. As a result, we are counting on all of you to provide your input and ideas during the research and analysis phase over the next few months. As noted at the General Assembly, we continue to make good progress despite the pandemic in our preparations for the 3rd European Games Kraków & Małopolska 2023 and the European Youth Olympic Festivals scheduled for 2021, 2022 and 2023. We confirmed the appointment of Borjomi and Bakuriani (GEO) and Brno (CZE) as hosts of the 2025 winter and summer EYOF, respectively, and are looking forward to the unique flavours both bring to their editions of the Games.

I would like to extend my appreciation to IOC President Thomas Bach for his message to the General Assembly and my congratulations to him for re-election next March. Under his leadership, the Olympic Movement will remain in strong and capable hands.

For the vast majority of our ENOCs and partners, the General Assembly was a virtual affair, but on behalf of those of us gathered at the CONI headquarters, I would also like to thank President Giovanni Malagò and his NOC for hosting us and ensuring everything ran as smoothly as possible.

Finally, I want to offer my appreciation to the EOC staff in Rome, whose excellent work behind the scenes helped make our first online General Assembly such a success.

Best regards,

Niels Nygaard EOC Acting President 1 EOC NEWSLETTER November 2020 EOC 50 NOCs of Europe meet online for 49th EOC General Assembly

A number of important decisions concerning the future of the Olympic Movement in Europe were taken by the 49th General Assembly (GA) of the European Olympic Committees (EOC).

The meeting, held online for the first time as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, was organised by the EOC Head Office in Rome from the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Italy (CONI) on 27 November 2020.

The General Assembly began with a minute’s silence for former EOC President Janez Kocijančič, who passed away on 1 June this year.

CONI President Giovanni Malagò provided a welcome address, followed by opening remarks from International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and EOC Acting President Niels Nygaard.

The IOC President spoke about how much the world had changed since he last addressed the General Assembly in 2019, but added that the Olympic Movement had used the pandemic as an opportunity to make sport more relevant than ever in society.

“We seized the opportunity at the very beginning of the crisis to sign a cooperation agreement with the WHO that is widening the scope of our work together,” President Bach said. “We undertook many efforts on the political front to emphasise the important role of sport in this crisis, the important role of sport for physical and mental health.”

EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi delivered a report on the activities of the EOC Office in Rome, taking the opportunity to introduce the idea of an EOC House at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and announcing that next year’s General Assembly in Greece would be advanced from October to April.

During the GA, Acting President Nygaard and ExCo Member Spyros Capralos both announced their candidacies for the position of EOC President.

The European NOCs voted overwhelmingly in favour of two changes to the EOC Articles of Association. The first amendment ensures that elections should be held at the next scheduled General Assembly at the latest “should the President or any Officer(s), or other elected member(s) of the Executive Committee” cease, for any reason, to hold office during their term of office. The amendment means that elections for the entire EOC Executive Committee will be held at next year’s General Assembly in Greece on 16 April.

The second proposal, tabled by the Olympic Federation of Ireland, was aimed at aligning the EOC Executive Committee with Olympic Agenda 2020 proposals for gender parity in sport. From the next EOC elections onwards, a minimum of five of the elected 16 members on the EOC Executive Board must be of each gender, while procedures for such elections shall include provisions to ensure the minimum gender number is met. Read more

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ExCo meets for ninth time of 2020

The EOC Executive Committee met for the ninth time of 2020 on 26 November, a day ahead of the 49th EOC General Assembly.

Acting President Niels Nygaard opened the meeting with an overview of the EOC’s activities in the five weeks since the ExCo’s last gathering, which included discussions with the Polish hosts of the Kraków & Małapolska European Games in 2023, the European Union, EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, and the G20, which “value sport as an important accompaniment to what they want to do in the future,” Nygaard said.

Coordination Commission Chair for the 2023 European Games Hasan Arat updated the Members on the steady progress being made for the third edition of the Games. This includes, in particular, the excellent work with regard to the sports programme for the third edition of the Games, with negotiations continuing between the EOC and roughly two dozen sports federations.

ExCo Member Đjorđje Višacki presented an overview of the EOC’s Strategic Agenda 2030, whose mission is to develop and protect the Olympic Movement in Europe in accordance with the Olympic Charter, while leading Europe in the global delivery of elite sport and healthy lifestyles. Read more

PIOTR NUROWSKI PRIZE EOC unveils new trophy

The EOC has unveiled a new trophy for the Piotr Nurowski Prize (PNP), awarded to the best young European athlete of the year in both summer and winter sports.

The newly designed trophy, which was presented during the 49th EOC General Assembly on 27 November, is parallelepiped in shape and is made of beechwood and crystal. The crystal symbolises purity, while the beechwood, the most popular broadleaf in Europe, is well-known for its outstanding growth potential, which indeed distinguishes the “Best European Young Athletes.”

Eleonora Salerno, the Italian designer of the trophy, described its strong symbolism as “the metaphor of athletes’ pure souls, who want to reach the most shining stars, by starting off from their own land, tree and roots.”

The new EOC icon combines land and stars, human and divine. It aims to be a tribute to the power of sport and the limitless opportunities for young athletes, who can achieve whatever they attempt. Find out more about the prize here. Read more

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Italian biathlete Linda Zingerle is 2020 Winter Best European Young Athlete

The 49th EOC General Assembly selected biathlete Linda Zingerle (ITA) as the winner of the 5th Winter Piotr Nurowski Prize. Zingerle won the award ahead of runner-up Lisa Hirner (AUT), Nordic combined; Matej Svancer (CZE), freestyle skiing; Gints Berzins (LAT), luge; and Jessica Degenhardt (GER), luge.

“I am really happy, really surprised and really honoured,” Zingerle told the GA. “I would like to thank all my coaches, teammates, friends and family who supported me over the years, without whom I wouldn’t be here today. Thank you all so much.”

Zingerle won gold in the mixed relay and silver in the single mixed relay at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020. At the IBU Youth & Junior World Championship Biathlon 2020, she brought home an impressive hat-trick of medals – gold in sprint, silver in the women’s relay and bronze in the pursuit.

In addition to the newly designed Piotr Nurowski trophy, Zingerle will also receive a scholarship to support her training. The four runners-up also receive the trophies and financial support from the EOC.

EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC FESTIVAL Georgia and Czech Republic confirmed 2025 EYOF hosts

The 49th EOC General Assembly has confirmed Borjomi and Bakuriani (GEO) and Brno (CZE) as hosts of the 2025 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), for the winter and summer editions respectively.

Both Georgia and the Czech Republic will join the small group of countries to have hosted both a summer and winter edition of the EYOF. Tbilisi, Georgia hosted the 2015 Summer EYOF, while Liberec, Czech Republic hosted the 2011 Winter EYOF.

600 days to go to Banská Bystrica 2022

On 1 December 2020, the organisers of Banská Bystrica 2022 celebrated 600 days until the beginning of the 16th Summer European Olympic Youth Festival (EYOF).

After the postponement to the end of July 2022, preparations are moving ahead as planned. The Organising Committee is using the extra time to best prepare sports facilities and ensure the highest level of security during the whole event.

Many venues are yet ready to be used, while the reconstruction of the SNP Stadium in Štiavničky, which will host athletics competitions, has significantly progressed. The other sports venues will be ready for test events in the first half of 2022 the latest. Read more

4 EOC NEWSLETTER November 2020 ENOCs BELARUS – Athletes continue preparation for Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022

On 17 November, the NOC of the Republic of Belarus organised a meeting to discuss the preparations for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad Tokyo 2020 and the XXIV Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

The gathering was an opportunity for coaches, officials and athletes to speak about mental health and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Igor Petrishenko, first Vice-President of the NOC of Belarus Viktor Lukashenko and Minister of Sport and Tourism Sergey Kovalchuk also took part in the discussions.

“We use this time for recovery and treatment if necessary, and our athletes have everything at their disposal. They are currently training at the Raubichi sports complex, which has excellent facilities, even for high jumpers,” said Maxim Nedosekov, high jump champion at the 2nd European Games Minsk 2019. Read more

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA – NOC holds its Electoral General Assembly The General Assembly of the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina held its elective annual General Assembly virtually on 10 November 2020.

The Presidency Members for the 2020–2024 quadrennial are President Marijan Kvesić, Vice-President Prof. Milanko Mučibabić and Vice President Prof. Izet Rađo.

As per the Statutes of the NOC of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Presidency Members will rotate every 16 months, with Kvesić taking over the first six months.

Meanwhile, the Members of the Executive Board are Dr Nihad Selimović, Prof. Branislav Crnogorac, Kornelija Leko, Prof. Goran Bošnjak, Mirsad Ćatić, Ivan Brkić, Elvedin Begić, Nada Kujundžić, Slobodan Grahovac and Edin Krupalija. Dr Said Fazlagić remains NOC Secretary General. Read more

CYPRUS - Chrysostomou elected sixth NOC President

George Chrysostomou was elected as 6th President of the Cyprus Olympic Committee at its annual General Assembly on 19 October 2020. Chrysostomou, who served as Vice President for the period 2016-2020, succeeded Dinos Michaelides.

Yiotis Ioannides is the new Vice President, while Andreas Georgiou and Alexandros Christoforou were elected, respectively, Secretary General and Treasurer. The new Executive Board is composed of the following Members: Andreas Theofylaktou, Sotos Trikomitis, Pavlos Georgiadis, George Apostolou, Demetris Leontis, George Papageorgiou, Odysseas Patsalides and Clea Hadjistephanou-Papaellina. Read more

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ESTONIA - Top athletes call for wearing masks

Estonian athletes have encouraged the public to follow health recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are spreading a series of messages on social media, such as wearing masks, washing hands often and downloading the local coronavirus contact tracking application in order to keep social life in Estonia as well as the training facilities open.

The video entitled “I wear a mask” features Olympic champions such as track and field athletesGerd Kanter and Erki Nool; speed skater Saskia Alusalu; fencers Irina Embrich, Erika Kirpu, Kristina Kuusk and Katrina Lehis; hammer thrower Anna Maria Orel; weightlifter Mart Seim; freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru; and bodybuilder Ott Kiivikas.

Olympic fencer Erika Kirpu pointed out that people in Estonia were facing an important choice: “Behaving right will help hold the virus back. If we can slow down the spread of the virus by making the right choice, there is hope to avoid stricter measures.” Read more

ICELAND – #StayHealthy social media campaign launched

The National Olympic and Sports Association of Iceland has launched a social media campaign called #StayHealthy with the aim of motivating people to exercise regularly and take care of their health.

Public authorities in Iceland have stressed that during COVID-19 times it is important to pursue regular physical activity, as it can positively affect one’s resistance to the virus.

When organised sport will become an option again, the NOC of Iceland will add to the campaign messages that will encourage people to try any of the over 50 sports recognised by the 33 national federations in the country. Read more

KOSOVO – Majlinda Kelmendi proclaimed ambassador of ‘Let’s colour the country’ campaign On 24 November, the NOC of Kosovo and the non- governmental organisation “Let’s Clean Kosovo” (LCK) launched a national campaign aimed at planting 1.8 million trees.

NOC of Kosovo President Besim Hasani and LCK Executive Director Luan Hasanaj appointed Rio 2016 Olympic champion in judo Majlinda Kelmendi as Ambassador. “We all know that mankind is so connected to nature, so in my opinion this is the most adequate project to be implemented in Kosovo when it comes to protecting our air,” Kelmendi said.

Entitled “Let’s colour the country,” the campaign envisages that within 10 years 1.8 million trees will be planted throughout Kosovo, as many as the inhabitants that live in the country, based on the latest statistics. Read more

6 EOC NEWSLETTER November 2020 LATVIA – Aldons Vrubļevskis receives IOC Pierre de Coubertin medal Aldons Vrubļevskis, former President of the Latvian Olympic Committee (LOC), was awarded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Pierre de Coubertin medal on 29 November 2020.

The medal was presented to Vrubļevskis from IOC Executive Board Member and President of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) Ivo Ferriani on behalf of IOC President Thomas Bach during an official ceremony at the Sigulda Bob and Luge Track in Latvia.

Vrubļevskis has been serving the LOC for 32 years and is continuing to be part of the body in his duties as Executive Director of the Olympians’ Social Fund. He has also been a Member of the EOC Audit Committee since 2014.

The Pierre de Coubertin medal is a special decoration awarded by the IOC to those athletes, former athletes, sports promoters, sporting officials and others who exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship in Olympic events or through exceptional service to the Olympic Movement. Read more

LITHUANIA – Last story of ‘HeForShe’ campaign

The NOC of Lithuania has published the fifth and final story of its “HeForShe” campaign.

Entitled “The Formula of Happiness in the Family of Sports Coaches is Equal Distribution of Work and Mutual Support,” the story is about a family, their love for three sports (handball, volleyball and football) and their mutual support.

“We do not divide work into male or female, we support each other instead,” says handball inspector Tadas Jansonas at the start of the conversation. He helps his wife Asta, a volleyball coach, in training; supports her during matches; and once he even substituted her at an important competition. The couple lives in the spirit of sport. Their son Romualdas has inherited this passion. The Jansonas family’s typical day starts with a walk in the fresh air with another beloved member of the family, Zipas, a Shih Tzu dog. As soon as they return, Tadas hurries into the kitchen. The Referee in Chief of the Lithuanian Handball League and an Inspector of the European Handball Federation cooks breakfast for his wife and son every morning. He is very fond of experimenting in the kitchen; therefore, he spends a considerable amount of time there in his free time from work. Watch the video here. Read more ROMANIA – ‘Playing into sports’ national online platform for sport launched The NOC of Romania has launched a national online platform for sport entitled “PLAYING INTO SPORTS”.

The goal is to encourage children to have fun with a wide range of specific educational sports exercises, while introducing them to the world of sport without any material needs. The activities are also aimed at inspiring their parents to play sport together with their children while spending quality time with them.

“Kids are natural athletes, but they just don’t know it yet,” President of the NOC of Romania Mihai Covaliu stressed.

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“This platform is meant to bring them and their parents to scratch the cover of this marvellous world of sports, get a glimpse of it in a funny way, give the kids the chance to choose which one suits them best and, why not, go further with it in an organised environment and even on a high-performance level.” Read more

TURKEY – Online academy launched to boost development of Turkish sport On 16 November 2020, the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) launched the “TOC Academy”, a new digital platform that will act as a support tool for athletes, national teams, coaches and technical staff.

The e-learning platform has been populated with content designed to support athletes, national teams and their technical staff in areas such as performance, nutrition, injury prevention, handling stress, social media and communications.

Speaking at the launch of the TOC Academy, IOC Member and TOC President Prof. Uğur Erdener said: “It is important that we continuously expand our knowledge and experience in all areas of sport if we are to improve ourselves and our performances. “The technology-driven times we are living in have allowed information to be more readily available and accessed remotely. Therefore, digital platforms have naturally become a driving force behind the TOC’s efforts to develop Turkish sport and promote Olympism throughout Turkish society.” Read more

UKRAINE – Over 350 athletes participate in first of a series of anti-doping seminars The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the National Anti-Doping Centre of Ukraine, has launched a series of online anti-doping seminars.

In the kick-off event on 6 November 2020, over 350 participating athletes were greeted by the President of the NOC of Ukraine, IOC Member and Olympic champion Sergey Bubka; Director of the National Anti-Doping Centre of Ukraine Ivan Kurlishchuk; and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine Nina Lemesh.

“The topic of clean sport, the fight against doping is extremely important and painful in modern sports,” said Bubka. “The rules are being constantly changed and updated. We need to be up-to-date with new information, regularly gain knowledge, improve our awareness on doping issues.”

Participants had the opportunity to learn more about the main changes in the World Anti-Doping Programme, in particular the updates to the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code, the Prohibited List 2021, submission of whereabouts information, risks while taking sports nutritional supplements, and obtaining Therapeutic Use Exemptions. Read more

8 EOC NEWSLETTER November 2020 EUROPEAN UNION EOC Acting President stresses importance of solidarity at EU Sport Ministers Council

EOC Acting President Niels Nygaard emphasised the importance of solidarity in the post-coronavirus world at the Council of the EU Sport Ministers, which was held by video conference on 1 December 2020.

Ministers discussed the challenges faced in organising international sporting events in different Member States during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether an increased exchange at the EU level is needed.

In his address, Nygaard delivered an overview of the consequences of the pandemic and associated restrictions for the three main actors that are part of the European sport model: sport organisations, athletes and clubs.

“It is important to underline that the postponement of the Olympic Games has a huge impact on all actors involved. That relates not only to economic consequences but also to the individual life planning of athletes,” Nygaard said. Ministers agreed that athletes, sports organisations and federations have suffered substantial losses due to decreased sponsorship revenues, empty stadiums and costs related to testing and the implementation of health-related protocols. Read more

#BeActive Awards 2020

The sixth edition of the #BeActive Awards will take place online on 8 December from 4 to 5:30 pm. EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel will award the winners for each of the categories: Education, Workplace and Local Hero. The three winners will receive EUR 10,000, and each of the finalists EUR 2,500.

A total of 95 projects were submitted in 2020, almost double those in 2019, and will be evaluated by a dedicated high-level jury.

The nine finalists for the 2020 #BeActive Awards are:

EDUCATION - Gemeentelijke basisschool Het Nest (Belgium); Youth and Sports Department of Castilla La Mancha (Spain); Petra Preradovića Primary School (Croatia)

WORKPLACE - Groupe Roullier (France); Generali (Slovenia); House of Code (Denmark)

LOCAL HERO - Christine Janin (France); Tomáš Slavata (Czech Republic); Mette Rytsel (Denmark) Read more

9 EOC NEWSLETTER November 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020 - Updated test event calendar announced

The Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 announced its revised test event calendar on 27 November 2020.

Following changes made in the wake of the postponement of the Games earlier this year, the revised test event calendar covers test events for 18 disciplines, taking place between March and May 2021.

These events are an important component of pre-Games preparations. They will test three essential elements: the field of play (competition area) for each event; the use of technology; and workforce – with a particular focus on technical aspects, including COVID-19 countermeasures. Read more

MISCELLANEOUS PEACE AND SPORT – Nominees for 2020 Awards announced

Peace and Sport (P&S) has announced the nominees for the 2020 P&S Awards.

Among the candidates for the “April6 initiative of the Year” is the Kosovo Olympic Committee, for its nationwide #Whitecard challenge involving more than 5,000 people.

“The 2020 Peace and Sport Awards are approaching and we are extremely pleased to present the nominees of this edition,” Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, said. “In these challenging times, sport remains a universal language whose role is vital to promote essential values such as respect, diversity and inclusion.”

“All the selected organisations made an outstanding contribution to peace and development through sport and I wish them good luck!” continued Bouzou. The winners will be announced on P&S social media from 14 to 18 December 2020. Read more

10 EOC NEWSLETTER November 2020 SOCIAL MEDIA HUB In case you missed these #EOC posts...

The 5 incredibly talented finalists of the 2020 Winter Piotr Nurowski “Best European Young Athlete” Prize

*Due to the Christmas holidays, the EOC newsletter will not be published next month. News from December will instead be included in the January issue.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Copyright © 2020 European Olympic Committees, All rights reserved.

EUROPEAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEES Via della Pallacanestro 19 00135 Rome Italy [email protected]

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