Hickey Pleased With Olympic Collaboration at First EOC Meeting of 2015
Executive Committee hears detailed update on Baku 2015 as priorities laid out for coming year
Lausanne; 20 January 2015: The European Olympic Committees (EOC) Executive Committee today held its first meeting of the year at the new ANOC Headquarters in the Olympic capital, Lausanne, with preparations for Europe’s first ever continental multi-sport Games in Baku this summer high on the agenda.
The 16-person Executive Committee, chaired by EOC President Patrick Hickey, received reports from Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi and Treasurer Kikis Lazarides, and discussed the EOC’s key sporting events in 2015: the inaugural European Games in Baku and the summer and winter editions of the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF).
In addition, the Executive Committee confirmed that the planned Extraordinary General Assembly and EOC Seminar will take place from 14-16 May in Belek, Turkey. At the Extraordinary General Assembly the NOCs of Europe will be asked to ratify the proposed host city for the 2019 European Games, as well as potential changes to the EYOF Charter. In view of potential reform of the EYOF Charter, the Executive Committee also decided to create a working group to re-assess the overall EYOF concept in the new context of Olympic Agenda 2020 and the Youth Olympic Games.
The Executive Council meeting followed last night’s joint dinner in Lausanne with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Executive Council, hosted by IOC President Thomas Bach.
EOC President Patrick Hickey, who is also an IOC Executive Board member, said:
“This year is a landmark year for the EOC and I am very pleased with how our first meeting of 2015 has gone. There are now just under six months to go until the opening ceremony of the Baku 2015 European Games so we are living in very exciting times for European sport.
“Hosting our meeting in ANOC’s new headquarters is a symbol of the increased collaboration between the EOC, IOC and ANOC as we all work hand-in-hand to implement Olympic Agenda 2020 across the Olympic Movement.”
Spyros Capralos, Chair of the EOC Coordination Commission for Baku 2015, led a detailed update on the inaugural European Games, alongside Guido de Bondt, the Senior Technical Consultant to the EOC who had just returned from a series of in-depth briefings from all Baku 2015 European Games Operations Committee (BEGOC) directorates in the Azerbaijani capital.
Spyros Capralos said:
“We’d like to congratulate BEGOC on their progress. The direction and pace has changed from preparation to delivery. The venues are outstanding and we have every confidence that the inaugural European Games in Baku will be a complete success. That doesn’t mean we have no challenges, and we must make every day count if we are to produce a first-class Games. The fifth and final CoCom meeting in ten days’ time is going to be very important to make sure we continue that momentum.”
