Dear Colleagues,
Dear Friends,
What a productive month June proved to be for the EOC!
The EOC General Assembly is always one of the highlights of our year, bringing together the National Olympic Committees from across Europe, and the 55th edition in Budapest from 12-13 June was particularly special, as it was the first EOC General Assembly attended by IOC President Kirsty Coventry since her election. We heard an inspiring message from President Coventry in which she praised Europe’s continued role at the heart of the Olympic Movement, and we are extremely appreciative of her presence and leadership.
At the General Assembly, I was especially grateful for your unanimous backing to stand as a candidate for the ANOC Presidency. I view this as a sign of the success of the EOC’s work, and I will carefully consider this expression of support.
President Coventry is leading the Olympic Movement into an exciting new era, and we heard some of the initial outcomes of the Fit for the Future process at the 146th IOC Session in Lausanne. This included the historic Fit for the Future Olympian Grant, with all athletes participating in future editions of the Olympic Games in addition to Milano Cortina now eligible to receive $10,000. It is an exciting time for the Olympic Movement, and a particularly exciting time in Europe.
We are all looking ahead to the 4th European Games Istanbul 2027, with renewed confidence after the encouraging presentation from the Organising Committee at the General Assembly and the success of our Chefs de Mission Seminar in Istanbul. The extension of our partnership with the European Broadcasting Union through 2031 is further proof of the progress we are making.
June 16 marked one-year-to-go, and we are excited for an event which will elevate Europe’s premier multi-sport event to new heights, providing Europe’s best athletes with a chance to shine and compete for Olympic qualifying places one year out from LA28. We also have strong interest in the 2031 edition, so the future of the European Games is looking bright.
Progress continues on our Winter and Summer European Youth Olympic Festivals (EYOFs) next year, and this month we saw Dodo unveiled as the official mascot of Lignano Sabbiadoro 2027. The EYOFs remain a vital event for our young athletes. Estonian pole vaulter Allika Inkeri Moser was among those who shone at Skopje 2025 – congratulations to her and Romanian fencer Amalia Covaliu on jointly winning the 14th Summer Piotr Nurowski Prize at the EOC General Assembly.
As we enter the second half of the year, let’s continue the momentum towards a hugely exciting 2027 for the EOC, with our European Games, two EYOFs and the Games of the Small States of Europe all on the horizon.
Many thanks to you all for your continued dedication and support of the EOC’s activities.
With EurOlympic regards,
Spyros Capralos
EOC President
