(ATR) European Olympic Committees acting president Niels Nygaard and Hellenic Olympic Committee president Spyros Capralos both announced their intentions to run for the EOC presidency during Friday’s virtual EOC General Assembly.
The election will take place at the continental organization’s next general assembly – where new executive committee members will also be chosen – scheduled for April 16, 2021, in Athens, Greece.
The EOC has been without a permanent leader since the death ofJanez Kocijančič in June, with the Danish sports leader stepping in to fill the role. Nygaard was elected EOC vice-president and has been part of the executive committee since 2013.
Nygaard, IOC president Thomas Bach and Italian Olympic Committee president Giavanni Malago delivered welcoming speeches. CONI hosted the virtual meeting with Nygaard presiding over the nearly four-hour gathering from Rome.
Capralos thanked his European NOC colleagues for the "great results achieved today" while announcing his candidacy for the presidency.
"I’m excited and proud to officially declare my candidacy for the presidency of the European Olympic Committees," Capralos said, attending the meeting virtually from Athens.
"I look forward to building a stronger future for European sport.
"We’re currently facing the most crucial challenges in unprecedented times," he continued. "It is therefore critical that we collaborate to create a strong EOC that can support Europe’s NOCs for our preparations for the Tokyo and Beijing Olympic Games, but also the exciting third European Games in Krakow, of course also the European Youth Olympic Festivals and the Games for the Small States of Europe.
"An EOC that can help us all adapt to the new normal in the sport world that can also help us battle, unfortunately, with COVID-19."
Nygaard made his declaration for the presidency shortly thereafter, addressing European colleagues in his closing remarks.
"I can today also announce that I will be willing to continue working as EOC president and I believe it is rally in the spirit of the sport that we do have competitions and therefore it is also a good situation for Europe that at least two candidates want to work further on for the European Olympic movement," Nygaard said.
"No matter who will get elected in April, it is important that all of us work together and I believe the way we have been working together in the executive committee over the last three months has shown that we can.
"I’m looking forward in the coming months to laying out a clear strategy for the future of the EOC to have a good and friendly competition with Spyros and maybe others and a lot of candidates for the executive committee in the coming months."
European Olympic Committee leaders also proposed Strategic Agenda 2030 – the continental organization’s ‘Roadmap for the Future’ at the virtual meeting.
Serbia NOC secretary general and EOC ExCo member Djordje Visacki outlined the mission of the proposed Strategic Agenda 2030.
"We are aware that we are in no man’s land if we look at today’s circumstances," said Visacki. "Yes, there are many unknowns, but even in very difficult times, we have to look towards and believe in the future.
"The final document Strategic Agenda 2030 should hopefully be delivered by the general assembly by the end of 2021
"After we have this document on the table, we strongly believe that the executive committee will have an essential tool in creating and adopting future policies."
Phase Two of the proposal will be presented to the EOC executive committee at April’s general assembly, which will then need further approval to proceed.
"I’m also very happy that we have the support to go on with the Strategic Agenda for the future, which gives us the possibility to really strengthen the way we are working with the EOC and to achieve really good results for the National Olympic Committees of Europe," Nygaard said.
Lone candidates Bakuriani, Georgia and Brno, Czech Republic were confirmed as the future host cities for the 2025 editions of the Winter and Summer European Youth Festivals.
Italian biathlete Linda Zingerle was chosen by all 50 European NOCs as the recipient of the 5th Winter Piotr Nurowski Prize, an award recognizing the "Best European Young Athlete".
Written by Brian Pinelli
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