OCTOBER N.176 EOC Athletes in the spotlight - Janez Kocijančič Raffaele Pagnozzi Jean-Michel Saive Sergey Bubka Juri Tamm Claudia Bokel

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1 2017 EOC Head Office Villino Giulio Onesti Via della Pallacanestro, Rome, Italy Tel Fax OCTOBER N.176 EOC Athletes in the spotlight - The highlight of the month for the European Olympic Committees (EOC) was the 9 th Forum and 5 th Assembly of the European Athletes (18-20 October). The event brought together the delegations of 39 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and approximately 100 athletes in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where EOC Acting President Janez Kocijančič and Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi, as well as several Executive Committee members, were in attendance. Many key topics were discussed, including the protection of clean athletes and the transition of top athletes after their careers. The EOC Athletes' Commission completed its four-year term in Monaco under the leadership of its Chair - former Belgian table tennis champion Jean-Michel Saive. The Commission welcomed the chairs of four previous Commissions to Monaco: Sergey Bubka (UKR) Juri Tamm (EST), Claudia Bokel (GER) and Antonio Rossi (ITA). Preparations are accelerating quickly for the EOC General Assembly, which will take place from November in Zagreb, Croatia. In what has been another busy month, Kocijančič also met with a group of NOC presidents at the meeting of CIS countries in Slovakia, whilst Pagnozzi visited the NOC of Kosovo, the youngest member of the EOC. 9 th Forum and 5 th Assembly of the European Athletes - The Secretary General of the NOC of Monaco, HE Yvette Lambin- Berti, attended the Forum opening and welcomed all participants to two and half days of working sessions. This year, the European Athletes Forum was organised in cooperation with the IOC Athletes Career programme and was inspired by Agenda 2020 recommendations. Topics that were discussed included an overview on continental Athletes Commissions, protecting clean athletes, the effectiveness of the EOC Athletes Commission and information on IOC programmes dedicated to Athletes. Vice-Chair of the IOC Athletes Commission and Member of the WADA Athlete Committee, Tony Estanguet (FRA), Members of the IOC Athletes Commission Danka Barteková (SVK) and Adam Pengilly (GBR) all participated in the sessions. Delegates from IOC Olympic Solidarity and IOC Athletes Commission also contributed to the working sessions. One of the key items on the agenda was the election of the new EOC Athletes Commission for the quadrennial. In total, 18 candidates sought a spot on the eight-member Commission (six athletes from summer sports and two from winter sports). On Friday, HSH Prince Albert II welcomed European athletes and reminisced about the days when he too was part of this group. On the eve of the Forum, the outgoing EOC Athletes Commission held its last meeting chaired by Saive.

2 COMMISSIONS New EOC Athletes Commission elected for Estonian track and field champion Gerd Kanter was elected as the new EOC Athletes Commission chair, whilst Balázs Baji (HUN) was elected as Vice-Chair. The composition of the new EOC Athletes commission is as follows: Summer sports: Chair Gerd KANTER Athletics-Discus Throw ESTONIA Vice Chair Balazs BAJI Athletics- 110m hurdles HUNGARY Secretary David HARTE Field Hockey IRELAND Members Tania CAGNOTTO Diving ITALY Gunta LATISEVA-CUDARE Athletics-400/200m LATVIA Nevriye YILMAZ Basketball TURKEY Winter Sports: Members Jana DAUBNEROVA Biathlon SLOVAKIA Eldar RØNNING Cross-country Skiing NORWAY After the Forum, Acting EOC President Janez Kocijančič said: The Monaco Forum has been a fantastic moment to listen to athletes around our continent. It has provided the opportunity to listen to what the future of European sport should be, with active athletes representation ready to exchange their experience, to dialogue, and ensure they do their part in the decision-making process, in order to ensure better governance and better ethics. EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi said: It is indeed a very good group that has come out from the voting, and totally in line with gender equality. We are eager to see them at work and to welcome Mr Kanter to our Executive Committee. Pagnozzi also paid tribute to the outgoing Commission, and in particular to its chair Jean-Michel Saive, for his eight years of hard work and dedication he to the EOC. Pagnozzi also added that: These two days and half have been very positive; athletes were indeed very proactive, and the workshops in small groups proved to be a good opportunity to involve everyone and get good proposals. Athletes Commission - The outgoing Athletes Commission met for the last time in Monaco on the eve of the Forum. Led by its chair, Jean-Michel Saive (BEL), members of the Commission reviewed their past activities, the hosting of the Forum, the Assembly of the European Athletes and the election of the new Athletes Commission for the quadrennial. Members also proposed that a transfer of knowledge be activated for the incoming Commission and that the terms of reference be reviewed. The EOC Medical and Anti-Doping Commission - The EOC Medical and Anti-Doping Commission held the last meeting of its mandate in Vienna, where it was hosted by its Austrian member, Dr Norbert Bachl. From October, Commission chair Prof Dr Klaus Steinbach (GER) conducted what he defined as a very constructive meeting with a very busy agenda, ranging from reports on the Erzurum and Győr European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOF), to the inaugural Baku European Games in 2015 and preparations for the second edition in Minsk in For all of those events, Commission members agreed that the medical services were satisfactory. Dr Steinbach and attending members Dr Norbert Bachl (AUT), Dr Christian Schneider (GER), Dr Mark Stuart (GBR), Dr Thomas Torgalsen (NOR), Dr Jaroslav Vetvicka (CZE) and Dr Fabio Pigozzi (ITA), gave a special welcome to Dr Pamela Venning (GBR), who was recently appointed EOC Medical Consultant for the Minsk 2019 European Games. 2

3 Athletes representative Kate Richardson-Walsh (GBR) sent her apologies for her absence as she needed to attend the EOC Athletes Forum and Assembly in Monaco, which was held on the same dates. The Commission also discussed Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) and anti-doping rules, suggesting a review of the EOC s current rules for the EYOF and European Games, the road to the Minsk 2019 European Games, and the preparations for the November EOC General Assembly, with a view to ensuring continuity and the transfer of knowledge in the coming quadrennial. ENOCs GREECE - This month, Spyros Capralos was re-elected as President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee (HOC) for his third four-year term. Capralos was the only candidate for the presidency and received all 22 votes. The HOC Plenary Session also elected the following: 1 st Vice President: Stelios Aggeloudis, 2 nd Vice President: Xenophon Athanasiou Secretary General: Manolis Kolympadis, Treasurer: Antonis Nikolopoulos Executive Board: Aristidis Adamopoulos, Polyxeni Argeitaki, Yiannis Karras President of the International Olympic Academy: Isidoros Kouvelos President of the Ethics Commission: Manolis Katsiadakis President of the Olympic Preparation Commission: Spyros Zannias President of the Olympic Torch Relay Commission: Athanasios Vassiliadis Elections held last February had declared Capralos president of the NOC, but soon after, due to the absence of sole rival Isidoros Kouvelos, the Greek Supreme Administrative Court had ruled the result void. IRELAND - The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) organised a two-day conference from October called Empowering Women. The event was held in Croke Park, Dublin and was attended by many members from the numerous national sports federations in Ireland, as well as delegates from Sport Ireland, and the Irish Institute of Sport. OCI President, Sarah Keane and Executive Board Member, Georgina Drumm both addressed the conference.the conference was run by professional coach/trainer/speaker Gabriela Mullerand and had strong participation from women from a variety of sports disciplines in Ireland. OCI Executive Board Member and Athletics Ireland President, Georgina Drumm, reported on the recent Women in Sport Forum, which she attended in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Forum was jointly organised by the IOC and the local NOC. The conference, which ran from 9-11 October, covered key topics such as leadership styles, gender equality in sport, participation of women, building self-awareness as a leader and self-confidence skills. KOSOVO - On 27 October, EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi started a three-day visit to the Olympic Committee of Kosovo, where he was welcomed by NOC President Besim Hasani. Pagnozzi was updated on the activities of the NOC and its strategic plan for the period. During his stay, Pagnozzi also attended a course for sports administrators in the Kosovo Weightlifting Federation, organised in cooperation with IOC Olympic Solidarity. Pagnozzi lectured administrators, federal officials, clubs, weightlifters and coaches on good governance and NOC administration. Amongst the attendees was chairman of the Kosovo Weightlifting Federation Astrit Hasani, as well as the Kosovo national team coach Mr Uzeyir Haciyev, who previously coached the national teams of Turkey, Russia and Azerbaijan. Hasani and Pagnozzi then met with Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Behgjet Pacolli at his residence in Hajvali. 3

4 Pacolli thanked Pagnozzi for his visit to Kosovo, promising strong government support for sport in Kosovo. After the meeting, Pacolli said: A state without sport is like a body without a limb, so we must support sports and sporting activities in every way we can. The people who represent sport are our best ambassadors. Therefore, the visit of Secretary General Pagnozzi is very important, and I would like him to see that we love sport and we are serious about it. Pagnozzi noted how the Olympic gold medal won by judoka Majlinda Kelmendi at Rio 2016 opened the doors for the development of sport in Kosovo, saying: I have to say that I have an extremely good impression, not only for the work that the Kosovo Olympic Committee is doing, but above all, this morning's meeting shows how political authorities support sport. I believe that after the gold medal in Rio, Kosovo can greatly develop, because we are all focused on helping Kosovo. NOC President Besim Hasani called Pagnozzi's visit extremely important: "The European and International Olympic Committees rightly consider us to be a three-year-old new-born baby, and want us to grow healthily and vigorously. Today our encounter with Deputy Prime Minister Pacolli shows how cooperation between the non-governmental and the governmental bodies is extremely good. Mr Pacolli had visited us at the NOC in other capacities, and he continues to support us, as we have a partnership with Mabetex that is of great importance to us. LITHUANIA - On October, the IOC together with the NOC of Lithuania organised the first Advancing Women in Leadership Roles Forum in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Forum was attended by over 200 participants from 38 NOCs, the IOC, the EOC and many other international organisations. The event was officially opened by Lithuanian Olympic shooting champion Daina Gudzinevičiūtė, IOC President Thomas Bach, EOC Acting President Janez Kocijančič and the Council of Europe's Director General for Democracy, Snežana Samardžič-Markovič. President Bach welcomed participants by emphasising that Lithuania is a great example of women in leadership roles as both the President of the NOC and country are women. In addition, the NOC of Lithuania has initiated a wide range of projects dedicated to gender equality, women s leadership and empowering of women. The initiative Let s start the change for the employees of sports organisations and former elite athletes is a noteworthy example. The Opening Session also included inspiring and insightful speeches by Janez Kocijančič and Ms. Samardžič-Marković. EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi took part in the first panel discussion - It s time for women to run the office, which was moderated by Sarah Treseder, CEO of the Royal Yachting Association and member of the EOC Gender Equality in Sport Commission. The Forum also included other panels such as Good governance: Everybody should get involved, Education: a tool to foster Leadership and Special measures: A Solution? The Advancing Women in Leadership Roles Forum for Europe concluded with the Forum Commitment: Forum delegates acknowledged the leading role and responsibility of the EOC in advancing women in leadership roles in the European sport movement. They invited the EOC Executive Committee to adopt, allocate appropriate resources, and implement a strategy on gender equality with clear goals and indicators. They invited the EOC Executive Committee to consider mechanisms, which would encourage NOCs to present candidates of both genders for elections, and ensure that delegations are as gender-balanced as possible. They supported current activities of the EOC and its Gender Equality in Sport Commission (GESC), and called on European National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to implement the 2016 Recommendations of the GESC. They called for continuity of the work of the GESC, and advocated for a gender balance in all its membership its future compositions, to lead by example. As many of the delegates stressed, it was a fantastic few days and they felt a lot of energy and motivation to change. 4

5 ROMANIA - The Place des Vainqueurs in the Olympic Park in Montreal, Canada, has been renamed Place Nadia Comaneci, in honour of the iconic Romanian Olympic gold medallist, one of the world s best-known gymnasts. The square was renamed this month as a tribute to Comaneci s Perfect Ten performance at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games. Nadia and her husband Bart Conner, the President of the Romanian Olympic and Sporting Committee (COSR) Mihai Covaliu, boxer Lucian Bute, members of the Romanian gymnastics men s team, members of the Romanian delegation present at the 2017 FIG Artistic Gymnastics Championships and other personalities were all present at the inauguration ceremony. Michel Labrecque, president and CEO of the Olympic Park, said this symbolic place shows the affection of the residents of Montreal for Nadia Comaneci. Those who pass by Nadia Comaneci Square will discover a portrait of the gymnast and an explanatory text in French, English and Romanian, honouring her inspiration and tireless commitment to promoting gymnastics. A bronze plate, created in 1986, which lists the names of the winners of the 1976 Olympic Games has also been restored, and the names of over 6,200 athletes who competed at the 1976 Olympics are engraved in the Olympic Park. SLOVAKIA - Representatives of the Slovak Olympic Committee from the Central and South Eastern European Countries met in X-Bionic Sphere in Šamorín -Čilistov from October to discuss preparations for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. It is the third year running that the NOC has organised such an event. The NOC delegation was formed by President Anton Siekel, Honorary President Frantisek Chmelar, Secretary General Jozef Liba, and honorary member Mária Mračnová. Janez Kocijančič also attended the meeting. Leaders of 17 NOCs were in attendance - Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Kosovo and Slovakia. A total of 11 NOCs were represented by their presidents - Zlatko Mateša (Croatia), Spyros Capralos (Greece), Krisztián Kulcsár (Hungary), Nicolae Juravschi (Moldova), Dušan Šimonovič (Montenegro), Andrzej Kraśnicki (Poland), Mihai Covaliu (Romania) Bozidar Maljkovic (Serbia), Bogdan Gabrovec (Slovenia), Besim Hasani (Kosovo) and Anton Siekel (Slovakia). As well as PyeongChang 2018, participants also reviewed the period of the previous four-year Olympic cycle. They noted that the major European events organised by EOC - the EYOF and, from 2015, the European Games, are increasingly awarded to NOCs from Central and Southeast Europe. Delegates in Šamorín also talked about preparations for the upcoming General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) from 1-3 November in Prague, as well as the election for the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees on November in Zagreb. TURKEY - Professor Dr Uğur Erdener was unanimously re-elected as World Archery President for a fourth four-year term at the federation s 2017 Congress in Mexico City, held alongside the World Archery Championships, which took place in Campo Marte from October. Erdener, who stood unopposed, is also the President of the Turkish Olympic Committee, one of the most active NOCs in Europe. He is also an IOC Member, and has served as an IOC Vice President since

6 UKRAINE - This month, the NOCs of Ukraine and Japan have agreed to continue their cooperation until An extension of the current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Ukrainian Olympic Committee President Sergey Bubka and the Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda. In a working visit to Japan, the two sides discussed the issues of deepening cooperation, paying particular attention to the possible interaction in view of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Japanese delegation expressed its readiness to assist in the organisation of training sessions and test competitions for Ukrainian athletes in different sports. Also, according to the agreement, the two NOCs will cooperate in the areas of research and sports development projects, sports medicine, doping control, and the exchange of sports delegations. MEDITERRANEAN GAMES Tarragona The city of Tarragona hosted two important events this month, within the framework of the celebration of the XVIII Mediterranean Games. On 10 October, the President of ICMG, Amar Addadi, together with the President of the Spanish Olympic Committee Alejandro Blanco, inaugurated the two-day Chefs de Mission Seminar for Tarragona 2018 at the Palacio de Congresos, a seminar at which the team leaders were briefed on all aspects of the operation and organisation of the Games, in order to best serve the participation of its delegations for the event in The agenda for the seminar included security, accommodation, sports competitions, protocol, transport, and volunteers, as well as a venue tour. During his speech President Blanco reaffirmed "the hundred per cent support of the Spanish NOC for Tarragona 2018," stating that everything will be done so that "the Tarragona 2018 Games prove to be the best ever". On Friday 13 October, with 100 delegates representing 25 NOCs present, the ICMG General Assembly On 13 October, the Assembly of the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games (ICMG) officially welcomed Portugal as its 26 th member, after more than two decades of trying to integrate the NOC. The ICMG also renewed key positions on the Executive Committee, as Amar Addadi was re-elected President for a fifth term, and Víctor Sánchez, the Treasurer of the Spanish NOC and Executive Director of the Mediterranean Games of Tarragona 2018, appointed Vice President of the international organisation. During the Assembly, which followed the Seminar for the Chefs de Mission of the XVIII Mediterranean Games, participants also received updated reports from the Tarragona 2018 and Oran 2021 Organising Committees. Finally, the Assembly welcomed the Greek city of Patras as the organiser of the ICMG Beach Games in The first beach event were organised in Pescara in Alongside the Seminar and General Assembly, various ICMG commissions and committees, including the Technical Coordination and Medical and Anti-Doping Commissions, the Cooperation and Development and the Statutes and Regulations Committees, met in connection with the Tarragona 2018 Mediterranean Games. The XVIII Mediterranean Games are due to take place in Tarragona, Spain from 22 June to 1 July 2018, featuring 33 sports disciplines and over 4,000 athletes. 6

7 OLYMPIC GAMES PYEONGCHANG The highlight of October was the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony, which took place on Tuesday 24 October in Ancient Olympia, Greece. It was the start of a journey that will bring the Olympic spirit to the Republic of Korea and its citizens, and inspire the entire world. Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, HOC President Spyros Capralos, IOC Honourary Member in Greece Lambis Nikolaou and Mayor of Ancient Olympia Efthimios Kotzas played hosts to the IOC President Thomas Bach, Honourary President Jacques Rogge and a number of NOC leaders that took part in the Ceremony. The President of the PyeongChang 2018 Organising Committee (POCOG) Lee Hee-beom and the President of the Republic of Korea Olympic Committee Kee-Heung Lee, were the special guests of the day. The Chair of the PyeongChang 2018 Coordination Commission and IOC Executive Board Member Gunilla Lindberg, and a number of other IOC members were in attendance, as well as representatives of the NOCs of the upcoming Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games, including Tsunekazu Takeda (JPN), Zaiqing Yu (CHN), Denis Masseglia (FRA) and Lawrence F. Probst III (USA). Greek cross-country skier Apostolos Angelis was the first torchbearer. Angelis, who has already secured his place for PyeongChang 2018, passed on the flame to former football player Park Ji-Sung, from the Republic of Korea. Over the following week, the flame travelled 2,129km around Greece, carried by over 500 torchbearers. The flame participated in 36 welcome ceremonies in 20 municipalities and then arrived at the Acropolis on 30 October. The ceremony to hand over the flame to POCOG took place at the Panathenaic Stadium on 31 October. The flame made its way 8,500km east, to the Korean city of Incheon, arriving on 1 November to coincide with 100 days to go until the start of the Games on 9 February Thereafter, the Olympic Torch Relay will see the flame embark on a tour of the entire host country, covering nine provinces and eight major cities, before it finally arrives at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, in time for the Opening Ceremony on 9 February The Games will run from 9-21 February in PyeongChang, and will feature approximately 3,000 athletes from 95 NOCs. YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES BUENOS AIRES The IOC has launched a Young Reporters Programme for the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. The programme, which will run from 30 September - 19 October 2018, will bring 30 young reporters from five continents to the Games. It is the third time the IOC have run the Young Reporters Programme. Each reporter will have access to all the sports venues, work and train in the Main Press Centre with all accredited media, and receive specialised and intensive media training from senior Olympic journalists. NOCs are invited to submit candidates to their Continental Association, after having established their own national selection process on the basis of passion, performance and promise. The deadline for applications, which should be sent to the EOC Head Office, is 1 November. Aspiring participants should be aged between 18 and 24, and be a current journalism student or active young reporter who speaks fluent English. The EOC will then select two male and two female Young Reporters from the nominees and submit them to the IOC for consideration. The IOC will announce the successful candidates on 12 December. On 5 October, with one year until the Games, replaced the idea of a traditional ceremony in a large stadium with planned celebrations in the streets of Buenos Aires, where 500,000 people were able participate and watch a digital ceremony, culminating in Argentinean President Mauricio Macri starting the countdown clock with a few hundred school children. The idea was an example of the Buenos Aires 2018 Organising Committee taking measures to reduce costs and improve the economic viability of hosting multi-sport events. 7

8 WADA The 2018 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods along with the 2018 Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes has been published this month by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The List was approved by WADA s Executive Committee on 24 September and comes into force on 1 January It is one of five international standards that are mandatory for all signatories of the World Anti-Doping Code, and designates which substances and methods are prohibited both in and out-of-competition, as well as which substances are banned in particular sports. WADA President Sir Craig Reedie said: WADA is pleased to publish the 2018 Prohibited List. Updated annually, the list is released three months ahead of taking effect, so that all stakeholders, in particular athletes and their teams, have sufficient time to familiarise themselves with the document and its modifications. It is vital that all athletes and entourage take the necessary time to consult the list, and that they contact their respective National anti-doping organisations (NADOs) if they have any doubts as to the status of a substance or method. Athletes who have a legitimate medical reason for using a prohibited substance or method that is on the list can obtain exemption if they meet the criteria outlined in the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE). The TUE process has overwhelming acceptance from athletes, physicians and anti-doping stakeholders worldwide. The 2018 Prohibited List, the Summary of Modifications, and the 2018 Monitoring Programme are available for download on WADA s website in English and French. Spanish will follow shortly. The mobile-friendly digital edition of the list will go live on 1 January EUROPEAN UNION New EOC EU office premises - The Brussels EOC EU Office has now moved to new premises on 71 Avenue de Cortenbergh. The new building is only a few meters away from the old address. With additional space and a great panorama of the Brussels skyline, the spacious offices and meeting rooms enjoy natural light. MISCELLANEOUS Coaching: a pillar of sports education - Whist Monte-Carlo welcomed 100 athletes and delegates from 39 National Olympic Committees for the 9 th Forum and 5 th Assembly of the European Athletes, the Estonian rotating Presidency of the EU was focusing the importance of the role of coaches for both elite athletes skill development, as well as in society in a broader sense. An article published by the EU was a reminder that quality coaching plays a central role in ensuring the correct development of sports skills and can help determine if an athlete pursues a professional career in sports. The EU article states that quality teaching and coaching is an essential part of Erasmus+ Sport. Quality coaching became an explicit priority in the 2017 proposals. More specifically, Erasmus+ aims to: Promote education in and through sport with a special focus on skills development (for small collaborative partnerships, max. grant 60,000). Promote education in and through sport with a special focus on skills development, as well as support the implementation of the EU Guidelines on Dual Careers of Athletes (for regular collaborative partnerships, max. grant 400,000). *** 8