EOC NEWSLETTER No. 191 April 2019 MESSAGE FROM THE EOC PRESIDENT Dear colleagues, When we gather in Vienna on 18-19 May for the 40th EOC Seminar, we hope you will notice some exciting new improvements in the way we have structured and organised the event. The topics will remain those of utmost importance to the European National Olympic Committees and sport in general around our continent, but we are continuing to take measures to improve the way we deliver them and to encourage a much livelier and more interactive atmosphere so we can make the most out of each other’s knowledge and insight. To avoid a one-way information flow, we will implement even more informal panel discussions on a range of important themes. This year’s topics will include the European Model of Sport and its Value for Civil Society and Social Integration; Working Towards a Gender Balanced Future; High Performance and New Technologies in European Sport; the Future of Commercialisation in Sport; and the Growth of Urban Sports – Opportunity and Innovation. We are confident you will find a great deal that you can take away from these discussions that you will hopefully be able to implement in your own countries and organisations. Our list of speakers reads like a who’s who of global sports leaders, and we thank each and every one of them for taking part. In keeping with our commitment to gender equality in sport, we have an unparalleled group of female sports administrators who will present at the event, including IOC Executive Board Member/ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg and IOC Member/EOC Executive Committee Member and President of the NOC of Lithuania Daina Gudzinevičiūtė. Other notable speakers include ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti and ARISF/GAISF President Raffaele Chiulli, while the International Olympic Committee will also be represented by Pere Miró, IOC Deputy Director General for Relations with the Olympic Movement; James Macleod, IOC Director of the NOC Relations Department and Olympic Solidarity; and IOC Legal Director Anne van Ysendyck. A host of other influential speakers from around Europe will round out the panel discussions. We ask, as always, for your valuable input during these discussions and Q&A sessions to add even greater value to the seminar. Finally, I would like to thank our friends at the Austrian NOC for agreeing to host this year’s seminar on short notice. They have worked tirelessly to make sure the event is a successful one, and as a result of their commitment and expertise, I have no doubt it will be. I look forward to seeing you all in Vienna. Best regards, Janez Kocijančič EOC President 1 EOC NEWSLETTER April 2019 EOC Best winter European young athlete finalists announced The European National Olympic Committees (ENOCs) have announced the five finalists for the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Piotr Nurowski Prize for Best Winter European Young Athlete, with four female representatives being favoured again this year. The shortlisted sportswomen are: alpine skier Magdalena EGGER (AUT), snowboarder Annika Sophie MORGAN (GER), figure skater Alexandra TRUSOVA (RUS), and short track speed skater Petra RUSNAKOVA (SVK). The list is concluded by short track speed skater Attila TALABOS (HUN), the sole male finalist.Read more Slovak Peter Brüll joins EOC as Sports Director Following an extensive search that began in autumn of 2018, the EOC is pleased to welcome Peter Brüll as its new Sports Director, effective 1 May 2019. Brüll joins the EOC following a decade as Games Operations Manager at the Finnish Olympic Committee. Prior to this role, Brüll was Secretary General of the Slovak Ski Association and Sport Manager at the Slovak Olympic Committee. Among others, Brüll has vast knowledge of and experience at the Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games (YOG), European Games and European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOF). Read more The EU Sport Forum 2019 concluded on 9 April in EOC defends European Bucharest, Romania with a record 491 participants. Some of the continent’s leading athletes, sports administrators model of sport at EU sport and other distinguished guests provided insight into the forum in Bucharest issues currently facing European sport. On the first day of the Forum during a panel discussion on “The Role of Sport Federations in the Promotion of the European Sport”, EOC President Janez Kocijančič spoke about the importance of protecting the European Model of Sport. “We are governing sport, which is based on the pyramid model. We need to safeguard the European Model of Sport so we can take care of grassroots sport,” Kocijančič said. “We need to take a greater interest in the whole structure of sport and fight harder to protect it.” Read more EOC Gender Equality in sport commission addresses ‘New Leaders’ in Dublin The EOC Gender Equality in Sport Commission gathered in Dublin, Ireland on 11 April. The annual meeting coincided with the second day of the New Leaders Sport Leadership Programme workshop. The members of the EOC Commission, with IOC Gender Equality Consultant Nancy Lee as special guest, informed the young professionals from Europe about the requirements and the details of the programme for 2019. The group, chaired by Irish NOC President Sarah Keane, discussed a series of topics related to gender equality in sport, drafted an EOC Strategy form 2021 and gave an update on the New Leaders Programme. Read more 2 EOC NEWSLETTER April 2019 EUROPEAN GAMES International torch relay underway as Flame of Peace lit for Minsk 2019 The Flame of Peace for the 2nd edition of the European Games was lit on 3 May at the historical and emblematic “Flame of peace” monument “Ara Pacis” in Rome, marking the start of an international torch relay that will culminate at the Reaches top of Mont Blanc Opening Ceremony of the European Games Minsk 2019 The Belarusian Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, on 21 June. led by Alexander Godlevsky, has successfully scaled the highest point of Europe - Mont Blanc! A raging snow A trio of Belarusian Olympic champions (fencer Alena storm whipped the brave explorers as they climbed Belova, Rio 2016 trampoline gold medallist Uladzislau with the “Flame of Peace” but their desire to raise the Hancharou and 100m sprinter Yuliya Nestsiarenka) were Flame of the upcoming European Games over the entire the first of some 450 runners to carry the Minsk 2019 European continent proved stronger than the difficult Torch in what has been named the “Relay of Peace”. weather conditions. “Today marks 49 days to go until the Opening Ceremony On May 6 at approximately 8 pm Minsk time, the of the European Games in Minsk,” said EOC President mountaineering group descended from the summit. The Kocijančič. “We are trying hard to create a multi-sport Relay of Peace for the 2nd European Games Minsk 2019 event that will be second only to the Olympic Games. has reconvened its travels by road, accompanied by a We are at the last stage of preparations and I can tell you motorcade of Belarusian bikers, and will pass through that we are very satisfied and are looking forward to an 55 locations in five European countries (Austria, Czech excellent Games in June.” Read more Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) before reaching Belarus. Read more 3 EOC NEWSLETTER April 2019 Communications teams MEGOC: European Games attend preparatory can help Minsk achieve workshop ahead of sustainable development European Games On 12 April, the MEGOC and the German foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung held a round-table discussion The Minsk European Games Organising Committee at Dinamo Stadium in Minsk on “The Impulses Provided (MEGOC) hosted a seminar for press attachés and by Big Sporting Events for the Sustainable Development accompanying sports journalists from the 50 NOCs and of the Host City and Region.” European Federations from 25-27 April in the Belarusian capital. Among the participants of the event were a number of international experts who have extensive hands-on The seminar took place just eight weeks prior to the start experience in improving urban infrastructure ahead of of the 2nd European Games, which are scheduled for 21- major sporting events, and adapting such infrastructure 30 June. after the sporting event draws to a close. Ahead of the official round-table discussion, the foreign experts Topics of discussion included the cultural and volunteer received an introductory tour of the largest sports programmes for Minsk 2019, media accreditation, facilities of the 2nd European Games, among which were transport, TV broadcasting, press and photo operations, Minsk Arena, Falcon Club and Dinamo Stadium. as well as social and digital media guidelines. Read more Opening the meeting, Deputy CEO of MEGOC Anatol Kotau emphasised that one of the main tasks of the Games organisers is to show how such large-scale events can push the development of urban infrastructure, improve environmental conditions in the cities and develop the service sector as well as public transport. “Minsk is being modernised and our task is to demonstrate how such events have a positive effect on the urban infrastructure, which is moving up to a new level,” Kotau added. “Everything should be handed over to the city’s residents.” Read more 24 Teams in starting blocks for “DNA” debut The official debut of Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) at the European Games Minsk 2019 will feature 24 of the top teams in Europe, which it was announced last month have confirmed their participation in the new competition format created by European Athletics. The NOCs that have declared their involvement are: Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia*, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and Ukraine.