EOC Newsletter No. 196 October 2019 MESSAGE FROM THE EOC PRESIDENT Dear colleagues, October was another busy month for the Olympic Movement, with the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) taking place in Doha, followed by our own European Olympic Committees (EOC) General Assembly in Warsaw just a few days later. Both of these gatherings gave us the opportunity to share our experiences of the past year and reflect on what we can do better. Central to our discussions going forward must be the continual reminder that everything we do is for the benefit of the athletes, without which the Olympic Movement would not exist. We must work to ensure that the support for athletes at all levels is improved and the solidarity model of the Olympic Games is reinforced. These are topics that will form the cornerstones of discussions at the 10th European Athletes Forum from 6-8 December in Dublin, Ireland. For the second time, the Forum will be jointly organised with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and will follow on from the highly successful International Athletes’ Forum (IAF) held in Lausanne in April. Other activities on the agenda include an update on the IOC Athlete’s Commission Strategy, a workshop on communication, an overview of Athletes’ Commission resources and a session on the protection of clean athletes. One of the recommendations that came out of the IAF was that engagement and communication among all Athletes’ Commissions be fostered and strengthened. With that in mind, we hope that as many of our 50 European NOCs as possible send athletes to the Forum in Dublin so that our entire continent can be well represented. Many of the issues facing athletes in your home countries are the very same issues being faced by those around the world. Only by voicing their concerns can we begin to find solutions for all athletes. In Europe, we are privileged to be working with a number of highly engaged athletes who are working together for the good of sport. This includes our very own EOC Athletes Commission, under the chairmanship of Olympic champion Gerd Kanter, who will play a key role in the organisation and delivery of the Forum. The leadership of the EOC is convinced that these days will help to give us even more direction to make informed decisions for the future of sport in Europe, and I urge you all to engage with the athletes in your countries to make sure that their voices are being heard and to show the world how the European NOCs are continuing to put the athletes first. Best regards, Janez Kocijančič EOC President 1 EOC NEWSLETTER October 2019 EOC 48th EOC General Assembly held in Warsaw The 48th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) was successfully organised in Warsaw, Poland from 25-26 October 2019. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach provided the welcome address for the two-day meeting, encouraging the EOC to build on the great success of the European Games Minsk 2019, which he attended this summer. EOC President Janez Kocijančič reiterated the importance of universality, good governance and ethics in all organisations of the Olympic Movement. He went on to thank the organisers of the four EOC multi-sports events in 2019, including those of the summer and winter editions of the European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOFs) and the Games of the Small States of Europe (GSSE), and, in particular, the 2nd edition of the European Games in Minsk. Finally, he stressed that “the European Games should be much more integrated into the Olympic Movement and become a fundamental part of [qualifying for] the Olympic Games.” Following the President, EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi reported on the activities of the EOC head office. He covered the vast work carried out over the past 12 months and highlighted the changing trends in the consumption of sport, the future strategy and investments that the EOC will make towards communication and digital media. EOC Executive Committee (ExCo) Member, IOC Member and Minsk 2019 Coordination Commission (CoCom) Chair Spyros Capralos provided a final report on the European Games in Minsk together with representatives from the Minsk European Games Organising Committee (MEGOC), including MEGOC CEO and EOC Member ex-officio George Katulin. The Assembly was welcomed to Warsaw by Polish NOC President and host of the event, Andrzej Krasnicki, and Minister of Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Poland, Witold Bańka, who will become the next President of the World Anti- Doping Agency (WADA) later this year. The General Assembly was tasked with approving the financial accounts for 2018, the budget for 2020 and amendments to the EOC Articles of Association, including a measure based on IOC recommendations regarding gender equality intended to give the EOC a leading role in increasing the number of women in leadership roles in sport. Also speaking at the event were Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg and EOC ExCo Member responsible for financial matters Peter Mennel. Moreover, the Assembly received status reports from the organisers of the 3rd edition of the European Games Kraków and Malopolska, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, Beijing 2022 and Milan/Cortina 2026. Former EOC ExCo Member and President of the Slovak Olympic Committee (SOC) František Chmelár was awarded the EOC Order of Merit for his lifelong service to sport and the Olympic Movement in Europe. At the same time, the 2019 European Olympic Laurel Awards were presented to André Bolhuis (The Netherlands), Mariam Giorgobiani (Georgia), Kajetan Hądzelek (Poland), Milan Jirásek (Czech Republic), Eddy de Smedt (Belgium) and Kalevi Tuominen (Finland). The two-day EOC General Assembly wrapped up with reports on the activities of WADA, the 2019 GSSE in Montenegro and this year’s EYOFs in Sarajevo & East Sarajevo (winter) and Baku (summer). This was followed by updates on the 2021 EYOFs in Vuokatti (FIN) and Banská Bystrica (SVK). Borjomi and Bakuriani (GEO) and Brno (CZE) were announced as Candidate Cities for the 2025 winter and summer editions, respectively. In addition, Istanbul was announced as the location for the 49th EOC General Assembly in 2020, with Athens getting the nod for the 50th edition in 2021. Read more 2 EOC NEWSLETTER October 2019 Ukranian Mahuchikh EOC ExCo held final named 2019 European meeting of 2019 young athlete of the year The 4th EOC Executive Committee meeting of 2019 took place in Warsaw, Poland on 24 October. The ExCo was World silver medallist high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh welcomed to Warsaw by Polish NOC President and ExCo (UKR) was awarded the Piotr Nurowski Best Young Member Andrzej Krasnicki and Polish NOC Secretary Athlete prize on 26 October 2019 in Warsaw, Poland. General Adam Krzesinski. Following a vote by the 48th EOC General Assembly, EOC President Janez Kocijančič opened the meeting by the announcement was made during the centenary congratulating the organisers of all the EOC events that celebrations for the Polish Olympic Committee (PKOI) at took place in what was a very busy year for the EOC and the Great Theatre-National Opera. its 50 European National Olympic Committees (ENOCs). Mahuchikh, who finished second at the World Athletics “We consider ourselves responsible for all sport in our Championships in Doha, Qatar, claimed the 9th summer continent, and we have to be grateful to our organisers Piotr Nurowski prize ahead of swimmer Franko Grgić and continue to show that we are a strong community,” (CRO-2nd), artistic gymnast Giorgia Villa (ITA-3rd), Kocijančič said. cyclist Madis Mihkels (EST-4th), and fencer Liza Pusztai EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi reported on (HUN-4th). Read more the activities of the head office. Specifically, he focused on the work he is doing with his team to produce a strategic document for the European Games in 2023, whose aim is to outline the vision for the sports programme and its operational effectiveness. Read more COMMISSIONS – Athletes, Medical & Antidoping and Gender Equality meet in Warsaw Three EOC Commissions met in Warsaw, Poland on the sidelines of the 48th EOC General Assembly. The Athletes Commission, chaired by Estonian Gerd Kanter, discussed a series of crucial topics, including the IOC Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities Declaration and the 10th European Athletes’ Forum, which will take place in Dublin, Ireland from 6-8 December 2019. The Medical & Antidoping Commission, led by German Dr Klaus Steinbach, discussed the reviewed reports from the 2nd European Games Minsk 2019, the Winter and Summer EYOF 2019, as well as the WADA Independent Observer Report. For future events, the group put forward proposals regarding efficiencies in medical service levels, actions for the EOC to retain WADA 2021 Code Compliance and resources needed to increase the EOC Anti-Doping capacity. The Gender Equality in Sport Commission, chaired by Olympic Federation of Ireland President Sarah Keane, gathered in an informal meeting to discuss the EOC Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2022. The measure focuses on the IOC’s five areas of sport, governance, funding, portrayal and human resources, and was endorsed by the EOC General Assembly in Warsaw. In addition, all the Chairs of the EOC Commissions and the working group reported to the ENOCs on the activities carried out so far and their plans for the future. 3 EOC NEWSLETTER October 2019 EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC FESTIVAL Sarajevo & East Sarajevo 2019 – NOC and two cities nominated for Peace and Sport award The EOC is pleased to announce that the Olympic Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the cities of Sarajevo and East Sarajevo have been nominated by Peace and Sport for the Diplomatic Action of the Year award for their joint efforts in staging the successful 14th Winter EYOF this February.