Baku, June 21, 2015 – The European Olympic Committees (EOC) last night awarded the Chefs de Mission of Europe’s 50 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) at Baku 2015 commemorative EOC medals in recognition of the crucial role they have played in the lead up to, and during, the inaugural European Games.
The Chefs de Mission were awarded their medals at a reception in their in honour held by the EOC at the European Hospitality Club in Baku, Azerbaijan.
As well as leading their NOC delegation in Baku, the Chefs de Mission have played a vital role in Games preparations through their participation in Chef de Mission seminars, the first being held in June 2014 around the Baku 2015 one-year-to-go milestone.
EOC President Patrick Hickey, Vice President Janez Kocijan?i?, Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi, and Executive Committee member Zlatko Mateša presented the medals to the Chefs de Mission.
EOC President Hickey said:
“It is a real pleasure to be able to award European Games medals to the Chefs de Mission here in Baku. The Chefs de Mission are amongst the busiest people at the European Games so I’m delighted to have caught up with them to thank them in person for their hard work and professionalism. Their contribution to the success of the inaugural European Games so far has been significant.
“The European Olympic Committees exists to serve the needs of all Europe’s 50 NOCs. One of the core aims behind introducing a European Games was to provide opportunities for NOCs to develop their athletes and the Chefs de Mission have done a great job in preparing those athletes for Baku 2015. I have no doubt that their experience in Baku will help them refine their preparations for Rio 2016 and of course for the next European Games in 2019.”
Mark England, the Chef de Mission for Team GB, sharing the feeling of very many Chefs de Mission in attendance, commented:
“It is an honour to receive this award from President Hickey and the EOC. Team GB have brought 160 athletes to Baku to compete in 13 sports across 19 disciplines. Logistically, it’s been similar to how we prepare for a summer Olympic Games.
“The support we have had from the EOC and the Baku 2015 European Games Operations Committee has been excellent and this has allowed us to cover every necessary detail during our preparations. In turn, our athletes have been able to fully focus on reaching their peak and we’ve seen some great performances from our team, including 12-medal winning performances, which have helped secure quota places for our athletes on the road to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. So I’m very pleased with how things have gone.
“These Games have brought the European Olympic family much closer together and I’m very excited about the prospect of a continent-wide gathering every four years.”
Photo: Konul Nurullayeva, NOC of Azerbaijan Chef de Mission, received the EOC medal from President Hickey and Vice President Kocijan?i?
