New EOC Executive Committee holds successful first meeting in Lausanne

Lausanne, Switzerland; 18 January 2018: European Olympic Committees (EOC) President Janez

Kocijančič led a constructive first meeting of the newly elected Executive Committee (EC)

today, with preparations for the Minsk 2019 European Games a key item on the agenda.

The meeting was the first gathering of the new EC for the 2017-2021 quadrennial, which was

elected at the 46th EOC General Assembly in Zagreb in November last year. Kocijančič, who

served as Acting President for 15 months before being unanimously elected as President in

Zagreb, praised the efforts of the newly elected EC and pledged to keep working hard to

provide the 50 European National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with the support they need.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach attended the meeting and

updated the EOC EC on the latest issues in the Olympic Movement. Last night, President Bach

hosted a welcome dinner for the new EC at the Lausanne Palace Hotel. Kocijančič thanked the

IOC for their ongoing support and pledged the EOC’s full support to the IOC for their decision

regarding Russia’s participation at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Minsk 2019 European Games Organising Committee (MEGOC) CEO George Katulin and

Coordination Commission Chair Spyros Capralos updated the EC on the progress of the

organisation of the second edition of the EOC’s flagship event. Katulin presented several small

changes to the sports programme, notably the increase in medal events from 198 to 208.

Archery will now have three more medal events, wrestling freestyle, wrestling women and

wrestling Greco-Roman two more each, and canoe sprint one more.

Speaking after the meeting, EOC President Janez Kocijančič said:

"I am pleased with the progress we have made today and the number of important topics we

have been able to cover in detail. In particular, I would like to congratulate the Minsk 2019

European Games Coordination Commission and the MEGOC for their continued hard work and

efficiency. It is normal to encounter problems when you are organising events on this scale,

but the devotion of everyone involved enables us to quickly overcome any problems we may

face.

"I have every confidence that the Minsk Games will provide a dynamic blueprint, aligned with

the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020, for future editions to follow. Each country is different

and it is important to have an adaptable model that will encourage countries of all sizes to

tender for the Games in the years to come."

Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg, who

serves as an ex-officio member on the EOC EC, provided an update on the activities of the

ANOC. EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi and Treasurer Kikis Lazarides both gave

reports to the EC, and the structure of the EOC commissions for the 2017-2021 quadrennial

was established.

-Ends

For more information:

Contact: David Green

Email: David@jtassocs.com

Phone: +44 (0) 7557 435314

Notes to Editors:

About the EOC:

The EOC is an international non-governmental not-for-profit organisation whose objective is

to propagate the fundamental principles of Olympism at a European level.

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