European Olympic Committees (EOC) Acting President Janez Kocijančič today met with key Minsk 2019 European Games stakeholders to sign the Minsk 2019 European Games Host City Contract.

Kocijančič led a high-profile EOC delegation to the official signature ceremony in Minsk, where the second edition of the Games is set to meet Olympic Agenda 2020 criteria. This includes only using high-quality existing facilities, in order to make it as cost effective and sustainable as possible.  Kocijančič was joined in Minsk by EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi and EOC Executive Committee (EC) member and “Father” of the European Games Zlatko Matesa.

Kocijančič and Pagnozzi signed the contract on behalf of the EOC in the impressive Hall of Fame at the Belarus National Olympic Committee (NOC) headquarters. The contract was also signed by Minsk Mayor Andrei Shorats, Belarus NOC First Vice President Andrei Astashevich, Sports Minister Aleksandr Shamko, and Minsk European Games Organising Committee (MEGOC) CEO George Katulin.

In his address at the ceremony EOC Acting President Janez Kocijančič said:

“Belarus has a long and illustrious history in organising major international sporting events. I am certain that the Minsk 2019 European Games will be another example of their outstanding ability as a host nation, where we will see a highly sustainable and spectacular event. I would like to thank Mayor Shorats for his warm hospitality and very much look forward to working with him, Mr Astashevich, Mr Shamko, Mr Katulin and the rest of the hard-working team in Belarus in the months to come.

“Today is a very important milestone, but we must continue to work hard to ensure we deliver the exceptional product we believe the European Games can be. It is vital to the EOC that the Games reflect the recommendations laid out in Agenda 2020 and we believe the 2019 Games in Minsk will provide an excellent blueprint for years to come.”

The EOC delegation were welcomed to the city by Mayor Shorats, who in his address promised to deliver a top-class second edition of the European Games, which is fully compliant with Agenda 2020. The Minsk 2019 Games, which follow the highly successful inaugural edition in Baku in 2015, will welcome 4,000 of Europe’s best athletes to the city in June 2019, with over 180 medals to be won.

Preparations for the event will be monitored by a specially appointed EOC Coordination Commission (CoCom), which will be led by EOC EC Member and Hellenic NOC President Spyros Capralos, as was the case for Baku 2015. The CoCom also includes representatives from the NOCs of Europe, the European Federations involved, and experts in various areas such as sport, IT, broadcasting, transport, anti-doping and NOC Services. The CoCom will pay a first site visit to Minsk on 21 – 22 September.

Action at the European Games is due to take place from June 21 – 30 in 2019.