EOC NEWSLETTER No. 214 July 2021 MESSAGE FROM THE EOC PRESIDENT Dear colleagues, As the world’s focus continues to be on the exceptional exploits of the Olympic athletes at Tokyo 2020, it is especially pleasing to see our European athletes performing so well on the biggest stage in sport. At the time of writing, 37 European National Olympic Committees (ENOCs) have already won at least one medal, a fantastic achievement and we look forward to seeing how this improves before the Games are over. I have been in the Japanese capital for over two weeks now, and while these Olympic Games have been extraordinarily difficult to organise under the circumstances, they are nevertheless taking place smoothly and in a jovial and amicable atmosphere. More than anything, these Olympic Games have provided the world with much-needed hope and inspiration at a much-needed time. I would therefore like to extend my gratitude and heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped get these Games off the ground – from International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and his colleagues to our excellent and impeccable Japanese hosts to all of you: our 50 ENOCs and your teams of administrators, coaches, trainers, physicians and many others. All of you, especially your athletes, have had to overcome a great deal of adversity over the last year and a half and your continued professionalism is evident in how well Europe is represented in Tokyo. The Olympic Movement as a whole should be rightfully proud of this historic undertaking. Looking ahead, the summer break is nearly upon us, which will be an opportunity to refresh ourselves for what will surely be a busy end to the year. When we return in September, the newly elected EOC Executive Committee will reconvene for its first full meeting in Rome. This will be a great opportunity for us to map out the activities and strategic priorities we have been working on as part of our new mandate. I have already had the opportunity to travel to Rome and meet with the great team at the head office and their work continues with plans already under way for the 6th Assembly of European Athletes in Dubrovnik (CRO) in October and the EOC Seminar in Samorin (SVK) in November. After that we will turn our attention to the Boys Ice Hockey Tournament in Vuokatti (FIN) in December, marking the start of the postponed Vuokatti Winter European Youth Olympic Festival. I wish you all a great summer break and look forward to seeing you again, full of renewed energy for the future as we in Europe follow the new Olympic motto: Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together. With EurOlympic regards, Spyros Capralos EOC President 1 EOC NEWSLETTER July 2021 EOC EOC calls for candidates for 2021-2025 European Athletes’ Commission The EOC has opened the candidature procedure for election to the 2021/2025 European Athletes’ Commission (AC). The elections will be held during the 6th Assembly of the European Athletes in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on 2 October 2021. Each NOC has been invited to participate with two delegates – one male and one female representative. “I very much look forward to welcoming the athletes from the 50 NOCs of Europe next fall in Croatia,” said Gerd Kanter, EOC AC Chair and Estonian Olympic discus champion. “I encourage the whole European athletes’ community to put forward as many nominations as possible. I am sure that our new members will bring enthusiasm, ideas and ambition to the Commission from next year on, opening an exciting new chapter for us. Good luck to all candidates!” Read more EOC Ethics Commission holds its first meeting virtually The newly established EOC Ethics Commission held its first meeting virtually on 23 July 2021. The Commission is composed of three legally qualified persons nominated by the European National Olympic Committees (ENOCs): Maja Smrdu (SLO), Martina Spreitzer-Kropiunik (AUT) and Juha Viertola (FIN). The Members were greeted by EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi, who gave them an overview of the Association’s organisational structure and governance. Read more EOC President Capralos makes first official visit to headquarters in Rome Recently elected EOC President Spyros Capralos made his first official visit to the Association’s headquarters in Rome on 12 and 13 July 2021. The visit follows his election as 9th EOC President at the EOC’s 50th General Assembly in Athens on 10 June. The EOC President held discussions with re-elected Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi that focused on a range of topics: from the European Games and European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOFs), to the review of the functioning of the EOC Commissions and Strategic Agenda 2030, the roadmap for the future of the organisation and Olympic Movement in Europe. “I was delighted to be in Rome and spend time with the EOC team in person,” Capralos said. “It is a valuable opportunity to exchange new ideas and work on how we can further improve our governance and efficiency.” “Our main goal is to support and satisfy our 50 European National Olympic Committees. We need to understand where we currently are as an organisation, what the NOCs need from us, and then determine what we can do better for them moving forward.” Read more 2 EOC NEWSLETTER July 2021 EUROPEAN GAMES Atos to deliver secure digital services to European Games 2023 and 2027 Atos has been selected by the EOC as its official Digital Technology Partner for the 2023 and 2027 editions of the European Games. As part of this partnership, Atos, a long-standing supporter of the Olympic Movement, and the EOC, the governing body for Europe’s 50 National Olympic Committees, will work together to improve fan engagement. With its complete portfolio for decarbonised data-driven business transformation in sport, Atos will enable European National Olympic Committees, Organising Committees and federations to create premium digital content facilitating the delivery of this ambitious international sports event. For the third edition of the European Games in Krakow and the regions of Malopolska and Silesia in Poland, Atos will be responsible for safely capturing, processing and releasing data for all sports events. Atos will implement a new digital platform that will enable European fans to access the competitions’ official statistics, results and athletes’ personal records and will enable audiences to experience the event in a new and exciting way. By using the data of fan interaction, the EOC will get the opportunity to enhance end-user personal experience, whether onsite or watching the Games remotely – ultimately increasing fan participation. Read more EUROPEAN YOUTH OLYMPIC FESTIVAL Banská Bystrica 2022 unveils mascot to mark one year to go to EYOF The countdown clock to the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) Banská Bystrica 2022 officially started on 24 July 2021, marking one year to go to the biggest youth multisports event in Europe. The 16th Summer EYOF will be held in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, from 24 to 30 July 2022. To celebrate the milestone, the Organising Committee unveiled its mascot, a mining gnome named Permoník. The town of Banská Bystrica and the surrounding region are linked to the tales of “permoniks,” or mining gnomes. According to legend, the Permoniks were the ancient guardians and protectors of minerals and treasures in the vicinity of the mining tunnels. They guarded and dug ore with precious minerals, while helping miners in their work and warning them of any dangers. The mascot was selected by a jury composed of experts in fine arts and Olympism. The winning design was produced by Milan Prekop from Bratislava and chosen out of 1,102 entries. Read more 3 EOC NEWSLETTER July 2021 European Young Olympic Ambassador Programme for EYOF Vuokatti 2022 extended until EYOF Banská Bystrica 2022 The European Young Olympic Ambassador (EYOA) programme for the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) Vuokatti 2022 has been extended up to the Summer EYOF Banská Bystrica 2022. Since the Winter EYOF in Vuokatti has been postponed from 2021 to 20-25 March 2022 and the EYOF Banská Bystrica will take place only four months later (24-30 July 2022), the EYOA Programme for both editions of the EYOF has been merged. In other words, the NOCs of Europe can propose their current Ambassador for Vuokatti again for the EYOA Programme in Banská Bystrica. Since the start of the programme in September 2020, EYOAs from 24 countries have regularly met on live webinars and have organised a series of virtual activities. Read more ENOCs ALBANIA – NOC President and Secretary General meet UNHCR representatives Fidel Ylli and Stavri Bello, the President and Secretary General of the Albanian Olympic Committee respectively, have met representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for Albania Pablo Zapata and Associate External Relations Officer Showvik Das Tamal. The meeting focused on the social integration of refugee children in Albania through sport, and how they can be involved in sports activities or other regional competitions. Although there is not a very high number of refugees in Albania, the need for social integration is important and sport is considered the best tool. All the ideas and agreements will be formalised in a memorandum of cooperation between the NOC of Albania and the UNHCR, while hoping that in the future the talented young refugees in sport, through cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will be part of the refugee team at the Olympic Games. Read more CZECH REPUBLIC – Jiří Kejval re-elected NOC President for third term Jiří Kejval will continue to lead the Czech Olympic Committee after being re- elected for a third term during a General Assembly in Prague, Czech Republic, on 29 June 2021.