Azerbaijan’s capital city Baku will host the 43rd General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) on November 21-22.
The General Assembly will hear reports by EOC President Patrick Hickey, EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi, Secretary General of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Gunilla Lindberg, Director of IOC Olympic Solidarity Pere Miro, as well as chairs of EOC Olympic Games, Marketing and Communication, EYOF, EU, Environment and Sport for All, Olympic Culture and Legacy, Medical and Antidoping, Gender Equality in Sport and Athletics commissions.
The Baku 2015 report by Chairman of the EOC Coordination Commission Spyros Capralos and Baku 2015 European Games Operations Committee’s reports will also be heard at the General Assembly.
The meeting will be attended by President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach.
The event will also examine the progress of preparations for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Summer Games, PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the European Youth Olympic Festival (Tbilisi, 2015). Five best young athletes will be awarded at the General Assembly.
Baku will host the first European Games next summer from 12 – 28 June, involving more than 6,000 athletes from the National Olympic Committees of Europe across 17 days of competition, in what will be the largest sporting event in Azerbaijan’s history.
The city was awarded the honor of being the first host of the Games at the 41st EOC General Assembly in Rome, on December 8, 2012. The European Games will take place every four years thereafter, with the next competition due to be held in 2019.
On the eve of the 43rd General Assembly of the NOCs of Europe, the EOC Executive Committee also met in the capital of Azerbaijan, to take stock of this year’s activities.
The Members welcomed their new colleague Daina Gudzineviciute, President of the Lithuanian NOC and gold medal for trap shooting at Sydney 2000, unanimously co-opted in conformity with the EOC’s gender balance policy.
The agenda covered the key topics to hand, including the 2015 EYOFs and above all the European Games, which will make their debut next 12 June. The Members also discussed preparations for the General Assembly, including details for the Opening Ceremony on Friday morning.
The meeting was in part chaired by EOC Vice-President Janez Kocijancic, as President Patrick Hickey accompanied Thomas Bach to meet the President of the Republic, His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, who also heads the hosting NOC. NOC Vice-President Asiev came to welcome the Members.
The next meeting will be in Lausanne as is tradition.