EOC NEWSLETTER No. 210 March 2021 MESSAGE FROM THE EOC ACTING PRESIDENT Dear colleagues,

March was an eventful month in the world of sport, with some positive news for the Olympic Movement and in particular the 50 European National Olympic Committees.

With the re-election of as President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it means that the Olympic Movement will be guided for another four years by a steady hand, a trusted friend of sport, and a visionary leader. The EOC looks forward to working with Dr. Bach for the duration of his term and to incorporating even more of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 reforms into our own work.

The news that international spectators will not be allowed to travel to for the Games came as an obvious disappointment, but under the circumstances it was the correct and prudent decision and I expect these to nevertheless be of the highest standard. The EOC will work diligently to ensure maximum representation for our NOCs at Tokyo 2020, and will work hand in hand with you in this regard.

The postponement of the 50th EOC General Assembly from April to June was also a difficult decision to make, but one that the EOC leadership hopes will result in us being able to meet again in person in Greece this summer.

Preparations for the 2023 are progressing well. At the beginning of March I led an EOC delegation to , where we were met with strong support for the Games from the different levels of Polish government and other stakeholders. We were pleased to see that support across the board is growing, and with an increasing number of sports being added to the programme for Games, we remain confident that the third edition of the European Games will be the best so far.

Our vision for the future of the Olympic Movement in Europe also continues to take shape, with a survey currently being developed with regard to the EOC Strategic Agenda 2030. I look forward to involving all 50 ENOCs in this important process to formulate and agree on a bright path forward for all of us.

We are now over a year into the pandemic, but our motivation remains high and our commitment to the Olympic Movement in Europe is unwavering. I am confident that even as COVID-19 cases in many parts of Europe are on the rise again, we will soon see some light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s remain positive and redouble our efforts not only for the benefit of our athletes but for humanity more broadly.

Best regards,

Niels Nygaard EOC Acting President

1 EOC NEWSLETTER March 2021 EOC ExCo announces postponement of General Assembly

On 12 March, the EOC Executive Committee (ExCo) met online for the third time in 2021, with discussions focusing on the postponement of the 50th General Assembly, which will now take place on 10 and 11 June 2021 in Athens, Greece.

The 50th General Assembly, originally scheduled for 16 and 17 April, is an important one for the EOC and will see the election of a President and Executive Committee among other statutory business. The full list of positions and candidates can be seen here.

“Even though the situation across Europe is still precarious with the virus, everything has been done to find a new date that is suitable, and which will allow us to welcome all participants to Greece and organise the General Assembly effectively and safely,” said EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi. Read more

EOC Strategic Agenda 2030 kicks off

The EOC kicked off the first phase of work for its Strategic Agenda 2030 by inviting the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Europe to complete an online questionnaire on 18 March 2021.

Following the approval of the EOC General Assembly last November, an exhaustive NOC consultation will be conducted over the next two months and will be split in two parts: an online NOC questionnaire and interviews with the NOC Presidents, Secretaries General and Sports Directors.

“The EOC’s Strategic Agenda 2030 will give the EOC leadership a clear roadmap for the future while fostering closer cooperation between the EOC and the 50 ENOCs [European National Olympic Committees] moving forward,” said EOC ExCo Member Djordje Visacki, who is leading the EOC Working Group in charge of the project.

“Our future direction needs everyone’s input to enable us to represent all of the views of our rich and diverse family in the future,” continued Visacki. Read more

EOC partners with International Testing Agency to manage anti-doping programmes at its sport events

The EOC has decided to entrust the International Testing Agency (ITA) as an independent partner with the implementation of expert anti-doping programmes for its future events.

The partnership between the organisations is effective immediately and, therefore, the ITA will manage the anti-doping programs for the upcoming European Games 2023 in Poland and the upcoming European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOFs) in Vuokatti, Finland in 2021 and in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia in 2022.

“It is a great pleasure and honour to announce this partnership with the EOC, one of the most important major events organisers worldwide”, notes ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen. “I am certain that the EOC can profit from the independence and anti-doping expertise that the ITA offers together with the experience acquired through the management of the Olympic Games’ anti-doping program.

“We will work hard to make sure that the European Games and EYOFs are protected by an anti-doping program of the highest quality. We look forward to this partnership and to a strong collaboration with the EOC and all European National Olympic Committees for the delivery of clean European events.”

2 EOC NEWSLETTER March 2021 EUROPEAN GAMES Polish support grows with Silesia region to join Krakow & Malopolska in 2023 The Polish region of Silesia has added its support to the 3rd edition of the European Games (2023) and will join Krakow and the Region of Malopolska in organising the Games.

The official announcement comes after an EOC delegation travelled to Poland for a four- day visit over the weekend. The trip involved meetings with the Polish Government, the , the organising cities and the Polish Tourism Organisation, as well as visits to a number of facilities.

Chair of the European Games Coordination Commission Hasan Arat spoke positively about the impact the Games can have. “The European Games in 2023 will be an opportunity for Poland and for Europe in general to continue their economic recovery after the COVID-19 crisis. We hope that the Games will stimulate tourism for Poland and result in a positive economic impact.”

“We are so glad that the next generation in Poland will benefit from the legacy the Games will leave to the country, in terms of facilities, hosting events and the promotion of their country globally via media coverage. The previous editions of the Games were broadcast in 196 countries and territories with audiences of around two billion viewers, and we expect this to grow for the Games in 2023,” Arat said. Read more EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC FESTIVAL Banská Bystrica 2022 looking for volunteers

The European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) Banská Bystrica 2022 Organising Committee has opened the application process to become a volunteer for the largest multi-sports event in the history of Slovakia. The EYOF will be held from 24 to 30 July 2022.

The official announcement was made on 11 March, which marked 500 days before the start of the 16th Summer EYOF.

“To all interested people of all age categories we offer a chance to spend an unforgettable summer in Banská Bystrica,” said Executive Director of EYOF 2022 Banská Bystrica Peter Hamaj. “Volunteers will have the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of a big multi-sports event, look behind the scenes and gain valuable experience. It will also be a space to make new friendships, to meet people worldwide and see future Olympic winners.” Read more ROAD TO TOKYO No news is good news for Austrian cyclists on road to Olympic Games

With the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 already postponed by a year, speculation over whether they will or won’t take place this summer has become the latest unwanted distraction for athletes preparing to compete on the world’s biggest stage.

This is the very reason why Austrian track cyclists Andreas Graf and Andreas Müller, who qualified for Tokyo 2020 last March, are avoiding news of the Games altogether.

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“When you’re an athlete, you don’t have much energy to waste on worrying whether there will be the Olympics or there won’t be the Olympics. It’s better to focus on training,” said Graf , adding that he and Müller agreed on their media blackout back in September.

Pre-pandemic, one experience from which the riders say they benefitted a great deal was competing at the European Games 2019, where they won bronze in Madison.

Graf says it was also an excellent opportunity to fine-tune their tactics for Tokyo: “The European Games were a good chance for us to try something new in preparing for a big event, because it was almost on the same dates as the Olympics. So we tried to prepare everything like we want to do for Tokyo. And yeah, with the medal, we saw that we were in a good way. Everything worked how we wanted and now we know what we have to do for Tokyo.” Read more ENOCs ALBANIA – NOC celebrates Women’s Day The Albanian Olympic Committee celebrated International Women’s Day by organising a webinar entitled “Women in Sports, yesterday and today”, which was livestreamed on the NOC social media channels on 8 March 2021.

The meeting brought together around 20 participants, including former and current athletes, who talked about the past and present of women in sport while exchanging their experience.

NOC of Albania Acting President Vojo Malo encouraged more women to apply for leadership positions within the NOC Executive Board or commissions. According to the updated NOC Statutes, 30 per cent of elected Executive Board members must be women. Currently 25 per cent of the elected members within the NOC are women. As for financial support, 32 per cent of NOC scholarships are allocated to women. Recommendations that came out of the meeting stressed the urgency of adopting policies to support the participation of women in sport, management and leadership. Read more FRANCE – Alice Milliat’s sculpture unveiled on International Women’s Day On 8 March, International Women’s Day, a sculpture to honour Alice Milliat, founder of the International Women’s Sport Federation and the Women’s World Games, was unveiled at the headquarters of the French NOC. A number of prominent figures were present at the ceremony, which was presided over by NOC President Denis Masseglia. They included Jean-Michel Blanquer, Minister for National Education, Youth and Sport; Roxana Maracineanu, Sports Minister; and IOC members Guy Drut and Tony Estanguet, who is also President of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 Organising Committee.

The IOC President sent a video message praising the role and legacy of Milliat and congratulating the NOC on its initiative to pay her tribute. The statue of Milliat stands in the entrance to the headquarters, alongside that of Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games. Read more GREECE – IOC President inaugurates digital exhibition President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach inaugurated the digital exhibition of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) on 29 March.

The digital exhibition features all the modern Greek Olympic medallists and great moments from the , one of the most powerful symbols of Olympism.

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“I would like to thank President Bach on this first trip to Greece after his re-election, which is a great honour for our country. Throughout the years of his term, the IOC President has proved in many ways that Greece has a special place in his heart,” said HOC President Spyros Capralos. “The digital exhibition is a minimal tribute to all those who honoured our country in the most important sporting events since 1896,” Capralos continued. Read more HUNGARY – NOC at the forefront of post-COVID sports scene During March, Hungary held major international events crucial for Olympic qualification in several sports, including , handball, and .

In fencing, 395 athletes from 44 countries competed for 16 team quotas and 12 individual quotas at the 2021 FIE Sabre World Cup, held in Budapest from 11 to 13 March.

From 20 to 22 March, four out of 18 handball teams managed to clinch one of two team quotas at the Women’s Handball qualification tournament in Győr, with and Hungary emerging triumphant. The other two European qualification tournaments were held in Spain and Montenegro, with the national teams of Spain, Sweden, Montenegro and Norway qualifying.

A total of 280 athletes from 35 countries competed at the 2021 Wrestling European Olympic Qualifier in Budapest, where Bálint Korpási received a surprising gift besides his Olympic qualification. HOC President Krisztián Kulcsár made a promise to Korpási when he competed in the 72kg division at the 2019 World Wrestling Championships: if he managed to lose weight and qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in the 67kg division, the NOC President would give him his company car.

The UIPM Pentathlon World Cup, held in the Hungarian capital from 13 to 16 March, provided 172 athletes from 37 countries with the opportunity to earn important points for Olympic qualification.Read more

ISRAEL – NOC launches Scientific Newsletter in English The Olympic Committee of Israel has launched the first English version of its Scientific Newsletter. The Newsletter features content on the five areas of interest and scientific work of the NOC, each of which demonstrates a certain aspect of its work: the Olympic Committee of Israel, sports medicine, elite sports, coaches and coaching and events and results. The Newsletter can be viewed here.

KOSOVO - Ismet Krasniqi elected as new NOC President Ismet Krasniqi was elected as the new President of the Kosovo Olympic Committee during its 8th Electoral General Assembly, held at the Emerald Hotel in Pristina, Kosovo, on 25 March 2021.

Krasniqi received 53 votes, pipping his two opponents, Besim Hasani, who received 41 votes, and Linda Shala with 11 votes.

Krasniqi, former President of the Federation of Kosovo, will replace Hasani who has led the NOC since 1996.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support and the opportunity to guide Kosovar sport for four years. The biggest winner is you and the sport of Kosovo. I dedicate the victory to my brother. Thank you all for your trust,” said President Krasniqi. Read more

5 EOC NEWSLETTER March 2021 LIECHSTENSTEIN – NOC launches ‘Move together – with distance’ campaign

A video exercise campaign with the motto “Sport is not the problem, but part of the solution in the pandemic,” has been launched by the Liechtenstein Olympic Committee (LOC) together with various local partners.

Videos created by children and young people serve as a tip for their peers with opportunities for exercise. With the launch of the campaign “Move together – with distance,” these ideas for joyful and varied sporting activities are shared through short clips on social media in order to motivate the population of Liechtenstein to engage in sporting activity despite the current situation.

The videos of the youngsters are accessible via the LOC official channels and its partner organisations.Read more

TURKEY - Olympian Taha Akgül appears on OLI TV to teach hundreds of Turkish children about the Olympic Games

Olympic wrestling champion Taha Akgül was a special guest on the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC)’s Sports Culture and Olympic Education Project (OLI), which was streamed live to more than 600 children on Friday 5 March.

The multi-activity programme allows children to take part in a series of educational classes, focusing on key areas such as fair play, healthy eating and environmental awareness, as well as the Olympic Games, Olympic sports and Turkey’s Olympic credentials.

Due to COVID-19, the TOC took the decision to take OLI sessions online so that children could continue to benefit from this highly valuable project, which has reached more than 2 million students since 2006.

Akgül, who won gold for Turkey at the Olympic Games Rio 2016, joined OLI TV for its first online session to explain how he began his professional career in sport, the methods he uses to compete at the highest level, the emotions he felt when becoming an Olympic champion as well as the impact sport has had on his social life. Read more

IFs/EFs is back!

The 2021 European Mixed Team champions have been crowned, and the top players are back at the individual tournaments.

There is light at the end of the tunnel for badminton! In February 2021, Badminton Europe organised the first major event of the year. The 2021 European Mixed Team Championships was a great success, with the Danish team reclaiming the title for the fourth consecutive time.

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“I am very pleased with the event in Finland. We saw that the bubble system we created worked perfectly, and despite of the restrictions we managed to host an event at the highest level,” said Badminton Europe Secretary General Brian Agerbak.

Time to shine

In late April, European badminton players will be going to Ukraine to participate in the individual European Championships. The event was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation, but finally the city of Kiev has got the chance to host the event. “The European Championships is the place to shine for the best players in Europe. Winning this event secures a spot in the history books, and this specific event will forever be historical because of the unusual circumstances,” Agerbak noted.

The Olympic touch

It is not only titles that are at stake in Kiev. The European Championships carry important world ranking points that can make a difference for some players in securing their Olympic ticket, while others will be able to improve their seeding position.

Badminton Europe signed a participation agreement for the with the EOC in January 2021. “Looking a few years ahead towards this important multi-sports event, we are pleased to state that badminton is back,” Agerbak commented.

The 2021 European Championships will take place from 27 April to 2 May and all matches can be watched at www.badmintoneurope.tv OLYMPIC GAMES TOKYO 2020 - Olympic Torch Relay gets underway in Japan

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has congratulated the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee on the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay in Fukushima, Japan, on 25 March.

The grand start of the Olympic Torch Relay marks the start of the Olympic flame’s journey across all of Japan’s 47 prefectures, before it arrives in Tokyo for the opening of the Olympic Games on 23 July this year.

“Inspired by the Olympic values of peace and solidarity, the Olympic Torch Relay will carry Tokyo 2020’s message, ‘hope lights our way’, across Japan and the world,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “It will also acknowledge the challenges faced by society since last year, highlighting the importance of unity and solidarity within humankind, showing that we can only become stronger – together.” Read more

PARIS 2024 – The Games will be climate-positive

On 16 March, the Board of Directors of the Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 met to validate the climate strategy for these Games.

To contribute actively to the efforts to combat global warming, Paris 2024 will not only reduce its carbon footprint by half compared with previous Games, it will also offset all its CO2 emissions.

In addition, the Organising Committee and its stakeholders will support the creation and development in France of projects with a positive climate impact. The Olympic Games Paris 2024 will thus be the first major sports event to offset more CO2 emissions than it produces, with the first projects being launched this year.Read more

7 EOC NEWSLETTER March 2021 Milano Cortina 2026 - Global online vote chooses Futura as official logo Futura has been chosen as the official logo for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

The winning Olympic emblem Futura was announced in a press conference at the Italian National Olympic Committee headquarters in Rome on 30 March 2021.

A global online vote to decide between the of two potential emblems - entitled “Dado” and “Futura” - was launched during Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival on 6 March.

Over the past two weeks, people across the world voted via www.milanocortina2026.org and the Milano Cortina 2026 app. EUROPEAN UNION Greener, more inclusive and digital: the new #ErasmusPlus programme 2021-2027

On 25 March, the European Commission adopted the first annual work programme of Erasmus+ 2021-2027. With a budget of EUR 26.2 billion, (compared to EUR 14.7 billion for 2014-2020), complemented with about EUR 2.2 billion from the EU’s external instruments, the revamped programme will fund learning mobility and cross-border cooperation projects for 10 million Europeans of all ages and backgrounds.

It will seek to be even more inclusive and to support green and digital transitions, as set out in the European Education Area. Erasmus+ will also support the resilience of education and training systems in the face of the pandemic.

By promoting social inclusion, grassroots sport, equal opportunities and healthy lifestyles, the #sport dimension of Erasmus+ will be stronger and better than ever.

Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel, said: “The fact that the Erasmus+ budget for the next seven years has almost doubled shows the importance given to education, lifelong learning and youth in Europe. Erasmus+ remains a unique programme in terms of its size, scope and global recognition, covering 33 countries, and accessible to the rest of the world through its international activities. I invite all public and private organisations active in the fields of education, training, youth and sport to look at the newly published calls for proposals and apply for funding. Thanks to Erasmus+, we will make the European education area a reality.” Read more MISCELLANEOUS PEACE AND SPORT – Get ready for April 6!

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, April 6, is celebrated each year through numerous initiatives and campaigns carried out by the actors of the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) movement. Since the creation of the platform www.april6.org, more than 3,000 projects in 180 countries have been registered.

This year, with the theme “Behind every #WhiteCard, there is a story,” Peace and Sport wants to highlight the testimonies of real people who have personally or collectively measured the positive impact of a peace-through- sport project. Read more

8 EOC NEWSLETTER March 2021 SOCIAL MEDIA HUB In case you missed it…

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