The European Olympic Committees (EOC) Executive Committee (ExCo) met in Maribor, Slovenia on 23 July 2023, ahead of the 17th edition of the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival, which took place from 23 June 29 July 2023.
The highlights of the ExCo meeting are as follows.
Report of EOC President Spyros Capralos
- President Spyros Capralos welcomed everyone to Maribor
- Thanked President of the Slovenia National Olympic Committee (NOC) NOC), Mr Franjo Bobinac and Secretary General Mr Blaz Perko and Ms Nataša Ritonija , Director of EYOF for their attendance
- Commented that it has been a difficult time to organise events in Europe due to the difficult circumstances the continent has been living first with COVID 19 and then war
- Spoke about his expectation s for the event, noting the joy it will bring to all involved, especially the young athletes
- Noted the tremendous pressure of the last two years with four EYOFs (Vuokatti and Banska Bystrica in 2022, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Maribor in 2023) a European Games (Krakow Malopolska 2023) and a Games of the Small States of Europe (Malta)
- Thanked everyone who worked hard to make the European Games a huge success, positioning it as the premier multi sport event in Europe
- Focused on the need for more improvements and the creation of a taskforce that will analyse the European Games in full, as well as using a consulting company to conduct a study
- The EOC continue to look for a host for the 2027 European Games
- Provided an update on having a European Olympic House at Paris 2024
- Commented on the shock cancellation of the ANOC Beach Games and expressed his sympathies to athletes who no longer have the chance to compete
- Thanked George Katulin for serving as an Ex Officio member before and after the 2019 European Games
EOC Athletes Forum update from EOC President Capralos
- The proposal is for the Athletes Forum to take place at the EOC Head Office in Rome
- There will be elections for President and Vice President and for two summer athletes and two winter athletes to join the Athletes Commission as per the new rotation policy of the EOC Athletes’ Commission
- To achieve gender equity, it was recommended that the President and Vice President will be different genders moving forward
Report of EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi
- Preparations for the General Assembly in Istanbul are continuing with the Turkish NOC and the invites have been sent to the NOCs
- Noted that the process of selecting a company to assist the EOC in the process of meeting the Sport for Climate Action goals is ongoing and should end soon
- The European Games were a big success thanks to the hard work of all involved at the EOC in the run-up to and during the event
- The event was not just a successful sports event but also provided some healthy financial results for the EOC
- The EOC has successfully achieved its goal of improving fan and athlete engagement at European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023. Reports today gave an overview of how the communication strategy has worked and it was safe to say that the investment in time, effort and money has paid off
- The EBU Streaming Report showed a good result in terms of viewership. Figures will
be analysed to better understand the picture but it is a valuable investment
Report of EOC Treasurer Peter Mennel
- Highlighted the financial success of the games, which saw a notable surplus in the budget
- Noted that the full figures were in the treasurer’s report provided
- Thanked all involved in making the European Games a success
Report of European Games 2023 Coordination Commission Chair Hasan Arat
- Thanked everyone involved in making the European Games in Poland a success
- Noted the difficulties in preparation due to outside factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic, financial difficulties and the war in Ukraine
- Commented on the great support the EOC received from Poland and from EOC ExCo member Mr Andrzej Krasnicki
- Said that the EOC must be proud of the European Games product with all key stakeholders happy with the event and that this was achieved despite only employing a small team in the EOC Head Office in Rome and using few consultants
- Noted the interesting results content produced through social media and the broadcasting quality from EBU has made the European Games and the EOC very strong
- There were issues and there are lessons to be learned but the focus must be on the positive areas
- Focused on the success of the EBU deal for Krakow and the future of the Games with footage broadcast in over 40 countries
- On a sporting level, having 41 of 48 countries win a medal and more than 100 Olympic qualification quota spots available was a great sign for the competition
- The Esport Championships were a great introduction to this area for the EOC and it is something that can be built on in the future
- Felt that the EOC Executive Committee and Coordination Commission’s goals were achieved
- It was a good decision to have Coordination Commission members from outside of the ExCo to offer their expertise
EYOF update from EOC EYOF Commission Chair Líney Halldórsdóttir
Summer EYOF Maribor 2023
- Looking forward to a successful event here in Maribor
- Everything is in place to make this EYOF a memorable edition
Summer EYOF 2025
- Peter Brull and Líney Halldórsdóttir visited Skopje for a short evaluation visit and found the venues were of a good standard
- Meetings were held with the Vice Prime Minister and the Mayor and their enthusiasm exceeded expectations and promised their full support
- The challenge in Skopje may be the weather
Report of the EOC EU Office from Carlotta Giussani
- Reported on staff changes at the EOC EU Office, with a new Policy and Funding Officer joining and the appointment of a Deputy Director likely to happen in October
- The EOC EU office is working on the funding project proposal, which will be focused on safeguarding in line with NOC demands and the IOC
- The GAMES and OCEAN Projects continue, with the former involving eight NOCs and the latter 18 NOCs
- The appointment of the next Commissioner is still unclear and likely to happen in August or September
- The European Commission has launched a study on athletes’ rights in and around big sports events and the EOC EU Office will be involved
52nd EOC General Assembly I Istanbul (TUR), 6-7 October 2023
- The EOC General Assembly (GA) will be extended to two full days with a full day to focus on the European Games
- There will be a deadline of 1st September set for reports to be sent to the EOC ahead of the GA to ensure concise presentations
- Once the Summer EYOF Maribor 2023 is finished, the invitation for candidates for the 2023 Summer Piotr Nurowski Prize will be sent out
- There was a discussion about the Laurel Awards and adjusting the criteria for future award winners with further discussions to be held
ANOC report Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg
- Apologies for the cancellation of the ANOC Beach Games and General Assembly after Indonesia pulled out of hosting the games on 4th July 2023
- ANOC is visiting Indonesia to discuss compensation to NOCs for expenses already occurred with travel, accommodation and other costs
- There are discussions ongoing over the holding of the GA and the Beach Games
EOC house – Paris 2024
- A letter has been sent to the French NOC, following the change in leadership, about honouring the commitment to provide the EOC with a house in Paris for NOCs without their own facility
