Poreç, Croatia, 5th October – the 4th European Athletes’ Assembly, gathered on the Adriatic coast since yesterday, has elected the new European Athletes’ Commission for the quadrennial to 2017.
The new Commission, the 4th since Jacques Rogge created this institution in 2001, when he was President of the EOC, has 8 elected members, all active athletes, 6 in representation of summer sports and 2 in representation of winter sports, of which more than half are women:
Summer Sports
Jean Michel SAIVE, table tennis (BEL), Chair
Natalia DOBRYNSKA, athletics (heptathlon) (UKR) , Vice Chair
Kate WALSH, Field Hockey (GBR) Secretary
Daniel GYURTA, swimming (HUN)
Alessandra SENSINI, sailing/windsurfing (ITA)
Tatiana LEBEDEVA, athletics/long jump (RUS)
Winter Sports
Mikko RONKAINEN, freestyle skiing (FIN)
Luiza ZLOTKOWSKA, Speed Skating (POL)
They will be joined by a further two to be nominated by the EOC Executive Committee, traditionally named from the outgoing commission so as to ensure continuity.
The election of the new Commission was the highlight of this 4th European Athletes’ Assembly, at which close on a hundred participants from 34 NOCs also talked about many issues of concern to them, including how to plan a sports career and the fight against doping, subject on which WADA European Regional Office Director Frédéric Donzé gave a comprehensive update.
Another important subject addressed by the meeting was the European Games, recently launched by the EOC and the inaugural edition of which will take place in Baku (AZE) in June 2015, when the delegates were shown a video from EOC President Patrick Hickey, and were given some insights by EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi, and Croatian NOC President and EOC EC Member Zlatko Matesa, who was one of the main promoters of these Games. Simon Clegg (GBR), who recently joined the EOC Baku 2015 Coordination Commission as Senior Advisor, briefed the athletes on some of the more technical aspects.
Eanna Bailey (Modern Pentathlon) represented the Olympic Council of Ireland at the Athletes Commission Forum.
The new commission was congratulated by one and all, including the outgoing commission and its Chair Antonio Rossi (ITA)
