OCTOBER

EOC

Preparing  for  the  future! The  activities  of  the  EOC  in  October  have  again  mostly  been  focused  on  the  future,  with  President  Patrick  Hickey,the   Executive  Committee   and   the  Commissions   busy  preparing   for   the  Olympic  Movement’s   next   big   rendezvous:   the  ANOC  General

Assembly  in  Bangkok.  This  event  will  be  shortly  followed  by  the  EOC’s  own  General  Assembly  inBaku  –  the  city  which  will  host  the  inaugural  European  Games  next  June  –  and  the  IOC  Session  inMonaco   in  early  December,  when  the  Olympic  Movement’s  new  blueprint,  Olympic  Agenda2020,  will  be  revealed.  This  winter  is  a  key  period  for  the  European  Olympic  family  and  will,  no  doubt,  keep  all  ENOC  lea-­‐ders  very  busy.  In  October,  President  Hickey  was  one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the  European  OlympicCommittees,  travelling  from  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  and  even  further.  In  the  firstweek  of  October  he  was  in  Baku,  before  heading  on  to  Kiev  for  the  NOC  of  Ukraine’s  GeneralAssembly,  where  he  was  among  the  first  to  congratulate  Sergey  Bubka for  his  re-­‐election  asPresident,  then  on  to  Armenia  and  Georgia  with  IOC  President  Thomas  Bach.  

President  Hickey’s  duties  as  an  IOC  member  and  as  a  member  of  the  IOC  Marketing  Commission  then  took  him  to  New  York,  Lausanne  andMontreux,  where  the  IOC  Executive  Board  was  occupied,  primarily,  by  matters  concerning  Olympic  Agenda  2020.At  the  end  of  October,  EOC  Secretary  General  Raffaele  Pagnozzi accompanied  President  Hickey  to  Sofia  to  celebrate  the  90th  anniversary  ofthe  Bulgarian  NOC.Yet  another  busy  and  highly  productive  four  weeks!

COMMISSIONS

The  new  Commission  in  charge  of  the  European  Youth  Olympic  Festival  (EYOF),  chaired  by  Victor  Sanchez  (ESP),  had  its  first  meeting  inRome  on  30  October.EOC  Secretary  General  Raffaele  Pagnozzi (ITA),  who  had  just  returned  from  Bulgaria,  joinedthe  team  for  lunch  while  Guido  De  Bondt (BEL),  who  chaired  the  EYOF  Commission  for  manyyears,  attended  to  ensure  continuity  between  the  previous  Commission  and  the  one  carryingthe  baton  until  2017.  EYOF  Manager  Katerina  Nycova  (CZE)was  also  present.  The  2015  winter  and  summer  EYOFs  will  take  place  in  Vorarlberg/Liechtenstein  and  Tbilisi,Georgia,   respectively,   whilst   the   2017   EYOFs   will   be   staged   in   Sarajevo   (Bosnia   andHerzegovina)  and  Gyor  (Hungary).  As  well  as  discussing  organisational  matters  for  the  upco-­‐ming  EYOFs,  the  key  issues  being  addressed  included  the  EYOF  Charter,  the  need  to  review  theEYOF  reference  documents  and  how  to  reinforce  the  strong  reputation  the  EYOF  has  earnedover  the  years.  

EYOF

2015  WINTER  EYOF  -­‐ The  EOC  Coordination  Commission  (CoCom)  revisited  Vorarlberg  and  Liechtenstein  this  month  to  check  on  the  progressof  preparations  for  the  2015  European  Youth  Olympic  Festival  taking  place  from  25-­‐30  January  2015.The  two-­‐day  meeting  between  the  CoCom  and  the  Organising  Committee  was  highly  successful,  and  the  Organising  Committee  was  roundlycomplimented  on  its  professionalism,  particularly  in  regard  to  its  on-­‐schedule  preparations.  The  biggest  challenge  facing  the  two  organising  countries,  Austria  and  Liechtenstein,  will  be  the  transportation  of  1,600  athletes  and  officials.But  their  transport  plan  is  very  impressive  and  shows  every  indication  that  the  host  countries  are  prepared  for  all  eventualities.  There  are  stillalmost  100  days  to  go  until  the  Opening  Ceremony,  but  the  Organising  Committee  is  already  in  its  operational  phase;  the  majority  of  the  workis  done  and  all  that  is  left  is  some  fine-­‐tuning.The  CoCom  visit  was  followed  by  the  Chefs  de  Mission  Seminar.  This  was  a  three-­‐day  programme,  including  workshops  and  plenary  sessions,

EOC-­‐COE   l Villino  Giulio  Onesti   l Via  della  Pallacanestro,  19   00135  Roma  -­‐  ItaliaTel.  +39  06  36857828 l Fax  +39  06  36857666 l    secretariat@eurolympic.org l www.eurolympic.org

N.145

OCTOBER 1452014 EOC Newsletter 2

and  a  full  one-­‐day  venue  tour  in  Vorarlberg  and  Liechtenstein,  meticulously  prepared  by  theOrganising  Committee.  The  visit  helped  the  Chefs  de  Mission  get  a  clear  picture  of  the  prepa-­‐rations  and  familiarise  themselves  with  the  whole  2015  EYOF  project.As  well  as  the  presence  of  the  Organising  Committee,  the  ENOCs,  CoCom,  the  hosting  citiesand  the  NOC  representatives,  the  Seminar  was  also  attended  by  observers  from  future  EYOFOrganising  Committees,  including  Tbilisi  2015,  Sarajevo  &  East  Sarajevo  2017,  and  Györ  2017.Last  but  not  least,  Alpy,  the  Festival's  mascot  also  showed  up.  Alpy  is  a  marmot  and  his  nameincludes  the  word  Alp  and  Y  for  Youth.  The  Festival  motto  is  Rock  the  Alps!The   organisers   of   the   first   EYOF   to   be   jointly   run   by   two   countries   –   theVorarlberg/Liechtenstein   EYOF   –   also   celebrated   the   100-­‐day-­‐to-­‐go   countdown   to   theEuropean  Youth  Olympic  Games  ,  which  starts  on  25  January.  On  that  special  day,  Liechtenstein  Sport  Minister  Marlies  Amann-­‐Marxer pre-­‐sented  the  first  three  medals  for  the  Games  out  of  a  total  of  228  to  be  won.

ENOCs

ARMENIA  –  On  9  October,  President  Patrick  Hickey visited  Armenia  alongside  an  IOC  delegation  headed  by  IOC  President  Thomas  Bach.  President  Bach  and  President  Hickey  both  met  with  the  President  of  Armenia,  Serzh  Sargsyan,to  discuss  the  development  of  sport  in  the  country.  Patrick  Hickey  presented  the  preparationsfor  the  European  Games  in  Baku,  Azerbaijan  in  2015  whilst  Thomas  Bach  assured  the  Presidentof  Armenia  that  the  IOC  and  the  EOC  will  assist  Armenia  in  creating  the  appropriate  conditionsfor  Armenian  athletes  and  their  coaches  during  the  Games.The   IOC   delegation   also   visited   the   new   headquarters   of   Armenia’s   National   OlympicCommittee  as  well  as  the  Olympic  Sports  Complex.  They  also  had  an  official  meeting  with  MrGagik  Tsarukyan,  the  President  of  the  NOC  of  Armenia,  and  discussed  Armenia's  participationat  Baku  2015.In  addition,  the  IOC  delegation  attended  the  Opening  Ceremony  of  a  monument  dedicated  toHrant  Shahinyan,  the  first  Armenian  Olympic  champion  (in  gymnastics).

BULGARIA–  A  strong  delegation  from  the  Olympic  Movement  was  in  Sofia  on  29  October  to  celebrate  the  Bulgarian  NOC’s  90th  anniversary.  Bulgarian  NOC  President  Stefka  Kostadinova,   Secretary  General  Belcho  Goranov,  and  Executive  Committee  members  welcomed  theirguests,  which  included  IOC  President  Thomas  Bach,  IOC  members,  NOC  and  IF  officials,  all  ofBulgaria’s  Olympic  champions,  and  many  other  athletes.  Europe  was  represented  by  EOC  President  Patrick  Hickey,  Secretary  General  Raffaele  Pagnozziand  leaders  from  a  number  of  ENOCs.The  delegates  also  attended  a  ceremony  at  which  the  President  of  the  Republic  of  Bulgaria,  RosenPlevneliev,  awarded  the  Bulgarian  National  Olympic  Committee  an  Honorary  Award.  The  cere-­‐mony  took  place  in  the  Coat  of  Arms  Hall  of  the  Presidency  in  the  presence  of  the  Minister  forYouth  and  Sport,  Ms  Evgenia  Radanova,  and  a  number  of  government  and  sports  leaders.Later  in  the  evening,  the  Official  Celebration  for  the  90th  Anniversary  of  the  Bulgarian  OlympicCommittee  took  place  at  the  Kempinski  Hotel,  followed  by  a  gala  dinner.For  the  90th  anniversary  celebrations,  the  Bulgarian  Olympic  Committee  unveiled  a  book  called"Olympic  Glory  of  Bulgaria”,  which  includes  chronicles,  documents  and  photographs  from  all  the  most  valuable  and  important  moments  inthe  history  of  the  Olympic  Movement  in  Bulgaria.  At  the  same  ceremony,  an  exhibition  sharing  Bulgaria’s  moments  of  Olympic  glory  was  alsoopened.  More  than  200  photographs  and  facsimile  documents  help  to  trace  a  rich  90-­‐year  history  of  the  Bulgarian  Olympic  Committee  andthe  Olympic  Movement  in  Bulgaria.  

FRANCE –  A  delegation  from  Azerbaijan  –  led  by  Konul  Nurullayeva,  who  heads  the  international  relations  department  at  the  NOC,  and  inclu-­‐ding  five  young  Azerbaijan  medallists  from  the  recent  Nanjing  2014  Youth  Olympic  Games  –  were  in  France  as  observers  at  the  "Sentez-­‐VousSport"  week,  an  initiative  established  in  2010  and  which  aims  to  encourage  physical  activity  in  France.  This  took  place  within  the  scope  of  theagreement  between  the  French  National  Olympic  and  Sports  Committee,  CNOSF,  and  the  Ministry  of  Youth  and  Sport  of  Azerbaijan.The  purpose  of  the  agreement  is  to  promote  the  European  Games  in  France  as  well  as  launch  an  initiative  in  Azerbaijan  similar  to  the  "Sentez-­‐Vous  Sport"  week.  This  initiative  forms  part  of  the  Baku  2015  Organising  Committee’s  commitment  to  using  the  European  Games  to  promotesport  and  physical  activity  in  general  in  Azerbaijan.Among  other  activities,  the  delegation  visited  the  National  Sports  Expertise  and  Performance  Institute  (INSEP),  went  backstage  at  the  RolandGarros  stadium,  and  watched  a  women's  basketball  match  between  France  and  the  USA,  in  preparation  for  the  World  Cup  in  Turkey.  They  alsomet  with  French  athletes,  learned  about  their  sports  and  had  a  meal  with  French  wrestlers  at  INSEP.

GEORGIA  –  On  13  October  EOC  President  Patrick  Hickey travelled  to  Tbilisi  with  an  IOC  delegation  headed  by  IOC  President  Thomas  Bach.They  were  joined  by  other  delegations  from  14  European  NOCs  to  celebrate  the  Georgian  NOC's  25th  anniversary.They  met  with  the  Prime  Minister  of  Georgia,  Irakli  Garibashvili,  and  President  Giorgi  Margvelashvili,  and  discussed  the  infrastructure  for  theEuropean  Youth  Olympic  Festival  (EYOF)  in  2015.  They  participated  in  the  official  inauguration  of  the  monumental  sculpture  "Ode  to  GeorgianOlympians",  which  represents  all  Georgian  Olympic  champions  and  medal  winners  and  is  sitiuated  proudly  in  front  of  the  NOC’s  headquar-­‐ters.

2014 OCTOBER 145 EOC Newsletter 3

ITALY –  On  21  October,  the  EU  sports  ministers  held  an  informal  meeting  at  the  Farnesina  –  the  Italian  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs.  Italy  cur-­‐rently  holds  the  presidency  of  the  European  Union  Council  and  discussions  included  issues  suchas  education  through  sport,  and  sport  as  a  tool  for  integration  and  peaceful  coexistence.Italy  was  represented  by  Graziano  Delrio,  Deputy  Minister  in  charge  of  Sport,  and  other  dignita-­‐ries   attending   included  Androulla   Vassiliou,   the   outgoing   EU   Commissioner   for   Education,Multilingualism,  Culture  and  Youth,  and  UEFA  President  Michel  Platini.CONI  President  Giovanni  Malagò gave  an  address  on  the  importance  of  fair  play  in  the  fields  ofsport  and  related  financial  matters,  underlining  how  "ethics  is  at  the  heart  of  the  reform  pro-­‐gramme  CONI  has  undertaken."During  the  meeting  of  the  28  EU  ministers  responsible  for  sport,  Italy  presented  each  of  themwith  a  coin  with  the  inscription  "The  Italian  Government  for  Sport"  on  the  obverse  and  the  Expo2015  brand  and  motto  "Feeding  the  Planet,  Energy  for  Life"  on  the  reverse.

The  EU  sports  ministers  ended  their  stay  in  Rome  with  a  gala  dinner  at  the  new  National  Museum  of  the  21st  Century  Arts,  the  MAXXI,  wherean  exhibition  entitled  "Art,  Sport  and  Video,  beyond  limits  and  boundaries"  has  recently  opened,  with  works  by  artists  from  18  countries.The  initiative  was  made  possible  thanks  to  the  support  of  a  number  of  international  partners,  including  the  Italian  Republic,  CONI,  theEuropean  Olympic  Committees  and  the  IOC.

IRELAND –  At  the  Olympic  Council  of  Ireland  Executive  Committee  meeting  on  Monday  20  October,  the  first  ever  athlete  selections  weremade  for  the  inaugural  European  Games  in  Baku  2015.  The  honour  of  being  among  the  first  five  athletes  selected  went  to  athletes  from  thesports  of  boxing  and  wrestling.The  five  athletes  selected  are:-­‐  Women's  boxing  :  Katie  Taylor,  60  kg  -­‐  Michaela  Walsh,  54  kg  -­‐  Ciara  Smith,  51  kg-­‐  Wrestling  –  men's  freestyle  :  Alex  Dolly,  84  kg  –  Soslan  Tuaev,  74  kg

ISRAEL –  The  grandchildren  and  great-­‐grandchildren  of  the  11  victims  of  the  Munich  1972  Olympic  Games  tragedy  were  in  attendance  at  the42nd  memorial  ceremony  held  by  the  Olympic  Committee  of  Israel.  The  ceremony  took  place  in  Tel  Aviv  and  was  attended  by  OlympicCommittee  of  Israel  leaders,  representatives  of  the  Israeli  Government  and  Tel-­‐Aviv  Municipality,  surviving  athletes  and  their  families  fromMunich,  the  families  of  the  11  victims,  delegates  from  Rio  2016  and  other  guests.  Israeli  NOC  President  Igal  Carmi  opened  the  ceremony,saying  that  everyone  still  felt  "a  great  sense  of  loss".  He  also  added  his  hopes  that  Rio  2016  would  commemorate  the  tragic  event.

SLOVAKIA -­‐  A  memorial  dedicated  to  hundreds  of  Olympians  from  Slovakia  was  unveiled  this  month  at  the  most  revered  place  on  Slovak  soil,the  National  Cemetery  in  the  city  of  Martin,  where  many  outstanding  names  from  Slovakpublic  life  and  culture  are  buried.The  ceremony  was  attended  by  200  people,  together  with  NOC  President  Frantisek  Chmelar,the  IOC  member  from  Slovakia,  Danka  Bartekova,  the  mayor  of  the  city,  NOC  secretary  gene-­‐ral  Jozef  Liba and,  above  all,  some  20  Olympians.Five  huge  globes  made  of  Tatra  granite  dominate  the  memorial  in  a  symbolic  representationof  the  Olympic  rings.  The  black  base  of  the  monument  symbolises  the  country's  soil.  Slivers  ofgold,  silver  and  bronze  within  the  base  create  a  specific  national  Olympic  DNA  structure.Coloured  plates  posthumously  commemorate  24  Olympic  Slovak  medallists  who  representedhistorical  Hungary  (at  Olympic  Games  from  1896  –  1912),  Czechoslovakia  (at  Olympic  Gamesfrom  1920  –  1992),  and  Slovakia  (since  Lillehammer  1994).The  very  first  of  the  athletes  represented  –  the  versatile  Alojz  Szokol (Alajos  Szokolyi  in  Hungarian)  –    took  part  in  the  Games  of  the  I  Olympiadin  Athens  1896,  winning  third  place  in  the  100  m.The  unveiling  of  the  memorial  was  performed  by  six  Slovak  Olympians,  led  by  the  two-­‐time  Olympic  champion  and  five-­‐time  world  medallist:white-­‐water  canoeistMichal  Martikan.  Martikan  won  Slovakia’s  first  ever  Olympic  gold  medal  (at  Atlanta  1996)  since  the  country  gained  independence  in  1993.The  IOC  awarded  Mojmir  Vychodil,  the  artist  who  created  the  National  Olympians'  Memorial,  the  IOC  Sports  and  Art  Trophy  just  after  theunveiling  of  the  memorial.  The  trophy  was  handed  over  by  Slovak  IOC  member,  Danka  Bartekova,  and  the  Slovak  NOC  President,  FrantisekChmelar.

TURKEY –  A  delegation  from  the  EOC  Secretariat  was  in  Antalya  this  month  for  a  site  visit  before  the  EOC  Seminar  ,next  May.  SabrinaRettondini  and  Federico  Pizzardi ,  who  were  accompanied  by  NOC  Secretary  General  Nese  Gundogan and  the  president  of  the  TurkishArchery  Federation,  reported  that  the  visit  went  very  well,  saying  that  the  venue  had  all  the  necessary  requisites  for  a  good  meeting  –  and  apleasant  stay  –  for  Europe’s  sports  leaders.

UKRAINE -­‐  Ukraine  NOC  President  Sergey  Bubka and  his  Georgian  colleague  Leri  Khabelov this  month  signed  a  Memorandum  of  Cooperationbetween  their  National  Olympic  Committees.The  agreement  aims  to  consolidate  their  friendly  and  effective  cooperation  in  various  spheres,  including  the  IOC’s  Sport  for  All  programme,sport  for  special  needs,  sports  medicine,  anti-­‐doping  programmes,  and  management  of  sports  venues.    The  parties  also  plan  to  involve  the  athletes,  coaches  and  experts  from  both  countries  in  training  camps  and  sports  competitions  both  inGeorgia  and  Ukraine.

2014 EOC Newsletter 4OCTOBER 145

EUROPEAN GAMES

Preparations  for  the  inaugural  Baku  2015 European  Games  continue  at  full  tilt, with  the  NOCs  kept  regularly  informed  on  all  aspects  throughBEGOC’s  e-­‐Qazet.  Meanwhile  Azerbaijan’s  Sports  Minister  Azad  Rahimov is  travelling  far  and  wide  to  spread  the  good  news  about  the  Games.His  travels  have  included  going  to  the  United  States,  where  he  gave  a  speech  at  the  69th  General  Assembly  of  the  United  Nations  and  met  withSam  Kutesa –  the  President  of  the  General  Assembly  –  as  well  as  holding  a  gala  lunch  where  he  spoke  about  the  first  European  Games.    EOC  President  Pat  Hickey also  visited  Baku  earlier  this  month,  noting  the  Baku  2015  European  Games  Operations  Committee’s  (BEGOC)excellent  progress.  Meanwhile,  Baku  2015  Head  of  Protocol  Paul  Foster visited  the  EOC  offices  in  Rome  for  meetings  with  Secretary  GeneralRaffaele  Pagnozzi to  outline  some  key  aspects  concerning  protocol  at  Baku  2015.  In  mid-­‐October,  a  team  of  Baku  2015  European  Games  organisers  and  the  Azerbaijan  NOC  attended  the  Regional  Forum  organised  in  Tbilisiby  the  Georgian  NOC  as  part  of  its  25th  anniversary  celebrations.BEGOC  updated  the  guests,  including  members  of  the  International  Olympic  Committee,  on  the  latest  developments  for  Baku  2015.

The  Baku  2015  European  Games  will  now  provide  qualification  for  Rio  2016  in  11  sports,  including  archery,  athletics,  boxing,  cycling,  shoo-­‐ting,  swimming,  table  tennis,  taekwondo,  triathlon,  wrestling  and  volleyball.

OLYMPIC GAMES

RIO  2016  –  At  the  end  of  its  seventh  visit  (29  September  to  1  October),  the  IOC  CoordinationCommission,  chaired  by  Nawal  El  Moutawakel  (MAR),  left  Rio  satisfied  with  the  progress  thatthe  organisers  had  made  since  their  previous  visit  in  March.During   the   three-­‐day   stay,   the   Commission   visited   the   Olympic   golf   course,   the   OlympicVillage,  the  Deodoro  Olympic  Park,  and  the  Barra  Olympic  Park,  where  they  were  joined  byBrazilian  President  Dilma  Rousseff.During  its  meetings,  the  Coordination  Commission  received  updates  from  the  organisers  andtheir  partners  in  areas  such  as  athlete  and  NOC  services,  sport  and  IF  services,  media  opera-­‐tions,  spectators,  transport,  test  events,  marketing  and  the  Paralympic  Games.The  Commission  next  returns  to  Rio  de  Janeiro  in  February  2015.  

TOKYO  2020 -­‐  Japan  came  together  to  celebrate  the  50th  anniversary  of  the  Tokyo  1964  Olympic  and  Paralympic  Games.  On  10  October  50years  ago,  the  Opening  Ceremony  of  the  Games  of  the  XVIII  Olympiad  took  place.  The  legacy  of  the  Games  is  still  palpable  in  present-­‐dayTokyo  and  stories  of  the  1964  Games  are  still  cherished  by  the  population.The  Tokyo  2020  Organising  Committee  marked  this  special  day  by  organising  several  events  to  commemorate  the  1964  Games,  and  will  usethese  celebrations  to  build  an  ongoing  momentum  towards  the  2020  Games.The  festivities  brought  together  the  whole  city  of  Tokyo,  with  many  exhibitions  opening  at  this  time  to  promote  “Olympic  passion”,  includingone  hosted  by  the  Japanese  Olympic  Committee  (JOC)  which  showcased  medals,  the  Olympic  torch,  posters  and  other  memorabilia  from  the1964  Games.The  JOC  also  extended  its  invitation  to  the  entire  Olympic  family  to  join  in  with  the  celebrations.  Several  1964  Olympians,  IOC  members  andrepresentatives  from  NOCs  and  IFs  were  also  present  in  Tokyo  on  this  special  day.  

2022  OLYMPIC  WINTER  GAMES  CANDIDATURES  -­‐  The  IOC  this  month  announced  the  composition  of  the  Evaluation  Commission  for  the  2022Olympic  Winter  Games  candidatures-­‐  Almaty  (Kazakhstan)  and Beijing  (China).The  Commission’s  chair   is  Alexander  Zhukov (RUS)  and  the  selected   IOC  members  are  Barry  Maister (NZL),  Adam  Pengilly (GBR)  andTsunekazu  Takeda (JPN).  Eight  expert  advisors  are  also  members  of  the  Commission.The   2022   candidate   cities   have   until   7   January   2015   to   submit   their   Candidature   File   to   the   IOC.   They   are   available   to   read   atwww.olympic.org.The  election  of  the  2022  host  city  will  take  place  at  the  IOC  Session  in  Kuala  Lumpur,  Malaysia,  on  31  July  2015.

WADA

The  3rd  Symposium  on  the  topic  of  Therapeutic  Use  Exemptions  (TUE)  was  hosted  by  the  French  National  Olympic  and  Sports  Committee(CNOSF)  last  23-­‐24  October  in  Paris.Dr.  Klaus  Steinbach  (GER),  Chair  of  the  EOC  Medical  and  Scientific  Commission  and  EOC’s  Chief  Medical  Officer,  was  among  the  participants.Following  successful  symposia  in  Bonn  (2005)  and  Strasbourg  (2009),  this  symposium  offered  representatives  from  National  Anti-­‐DopingOrganisations  (NADOs),  IFs  and  some  international  sports  organisations  the  opportunity  to  address  a  number  of  important  topics,  with  theprimary  objective  being  to  ensure  a  consistent  approach  to  the  TUE  process.The  two-­‐day  programme,  specifically  tailored  for  physicians  and  chairs  of  TUE  committees,  addressed  key  topics,  including:  changes  to  thecode  and  the  international  standard  for  TUEs;  medical  conditions  that  require  the  use  of  androgens,  stimulants,  glucocorticosteroids  or  beta-­‐blockers;  TUE  principles  and  practices;  supplement  use  in  sport;  and  challenging  TUE  cases  and  the  appeal  process.

2014 OCTOBER 145 EOC Newsletter 5

EUROPEAN UNION

Sport  added  to  Commissioner  Navracsics’s  portfolio  –  The  European  Commission’s  President-­‐elect,  Jean-­‐Claude  Juncker,announced  in  hisspeech  ahead  of  the  European  Parliament’s  vote  on  the  college  of  Commissioners,  that  sporthad  been  added  to  the  portfolio  of  Tibor  Navracsics (now  entitled  “Education,  Culture,  Youthand  Sport”).  EOC  President  Patrick  Hickey commented  on  the  good  news,  saying:  “We  are  pleased  that  therole  of  sport  in  European  society  has  been  properly  recognised  with  this  correction  and  I  hopethat  this  is  the  start  of  more  meaningful  dialogue  with  all  stakeholders  in  Europe  who  want  toplace  sport  higher  up  on  the  EU’s  agenda.  I  am  confident  that  if  the  EU  firmly  embraces  sportit  can  be  a  force  for  good  in  Europe’s  social  development  and  peaceful  coexistence.”  When  Jean-­‐Claude  Juncker  presented  his  team  in  early  September,  the  European  OlympicCommittees’  EU  office  published  a  statement  to  condemn  the  fact  that  sport  was  being  over-­‐looked  by   the   new  EU  Commission.   The   European   Parliament   has   approved   the   new  EUCommission,  which  will  start  its  five-­‐year  term  on  1  November.  

IN MEMORIAM

Nina  Popova,  member  of  the  Bulgarian  Olympic  Committee  since  1967,  passed  away  at  the  age  of  82  in  her  native  Bulgaria,  after  having  alsospent  many  years  of  her  life  in  Spain.    She  was  a  member  of  the  NOC  Executive  Board  (1990-­‐1995),  member  of  the  leadership  of  theBulgarian  Olympic  delegations  at  the  Olympic  Games  from  Mexico  1968  to  Barcelona  1992,and  Olympic  attaché  at  Barcelona  1992.  For  25  years  she  was  in  charge  of  the  InternationalRelations  Department  of  the  Bulgarian  Union  for  Physical  Culture  and  Sport.  She  was  also  acti-­‐ve  within  the  association  of  European  NOCs  as  a  member  of  the  EOC  Juridical  Commission(1984-­‐1994).Nina  Popova  was  the  first  woman  elected  onto  the  International  Volleyball  Federation  (FIVB)Administrative  Council,  in  1997,  and  was  a  member  of  the  FIVB  Statutes  Commission  and  anauditor,   member   of   the   CEV   Administrative   Council   (1979-­‐1991),   Vice   President   of   theBulgarian   Volleyball   Federation   until   1991,   and   the   General   Association   of   International

Sports  Federations’  (AGFIS)  auditor.She  was  a  holder  of  the  Olympic  Order  (1997)  and  of  numerous  other  distinctions,  including  the  Olympic  Merit  medal  of  the  Bulgarian  OlympicCommittee,  the  FIVB  golden  pin,  and  the  FILA  silver  pin.In  all  her  activities  Nina  Popova  promoted  Olympic  values  with  commitment,  performing  her  duties  with  great  competence  and  a  great  lovefor  sport.The  EOC  expresses  its  sincere  condolences  to  the  Bulgarian  NOC,  to  the  FIVB,  and  to  her  family.