Assembly of the European Olympic Committees held in Sochi

Assembly was chaired by Patrick Hickey, President of EOC. Delegates listened to the reports from Secretary General and Treasurer of EOC about work of this organization in during last year. Reports from ANOC, IOC Olympic Solidarity and from seven EOC Commissions were also presented.

Greatest attention was drawn by the question if Europe will finally get its continental Olympic Games and progress report of the fisibility study for organization of this multisport event. Finally, the decision on introduction of European Games will be brought in April in Moscow during the General Assembly of Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) when will be also held extraordinary EOOC Assembly.

Second day of the Assembly was dedicated to presentations of Organizational Committees for forthcommingcompetitions under patronage of MOC and EOC: winter and Summer Olympic Games, European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF). In Innsbruck, Austria, everything is ready for beginning of the first winter youth Olympic Games in January 2012, wile in London are ongoing test events on sport venues where most successful athletes of the World will compete in August at the Olympic Games.

Assembly named host cities of EYOF 2017: Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) for winter and Gyor (Hungary) for summer. It was agreed that next 41 regular General Assembly of EOC will be held in Eilat, following the invitation of the Olympic Committee of Israel.

Within two-days work, EOC awarded outstanding sport workers. In the presence of deputy Prime Minister and the President of the Olympic Committee of Russia, Alexander Zhukov and President of IOC, Jacques Rogge, biggest award EOC Order of Merit was given to Vitaly Smirnov, leading sport figure of russian sport and man of great respect within the Olympic Movement, long-time president of Russian NOC and member of IOC from 1971. EOC annual awards for contribution to sport development and promotion of the Olympic values went to David Hemery, Vice-President of the British Olympic Association, Alain Calmat, French Olympic champion and Luis Santos, President of Portugese Handball Association.

For the fort time was delivered Piotr Nurowski award for the most successful young athlete from Europe, introduced in memory of the President of Polish Olympic Committee and member of the Executive Board of EOC who died last year in an plane crash. Among six finalists, this award went to young Polish cyclist Tobiasz Lis.

At the same time with the session of the EOC Assembly, president of MOC, Dušan Simonović participated in work of the Executive Board of the Association Games of the small states of Europe, where were summed results from the last Games held in Lichtenstein, and updated information about forthcomming Games in Luxembourg 2013, and preliminary was determined sports program for the Games of the Small States of Europe in 2015 in Iceland. President Simonović informed the Executive Board that authorities in Montenegro supported idea that Montenegro should be candidating for the host of the Games of the Small States of Europe in 2019. This information was welcomed by great approval by all mamber states, and full consent was given to Montenegrin Olympic Committee to start the procedure that will be supported by all other Olympic Committees from the Association.

At the end of the General Assembly all delegates travelled to Moscow upon invitation of the host, for the central celebration of the hundrad years of the Olympic Committee of Russia. At the Gala night were present more than 1000 invitees, inv
Cluding numerous state officials and Russian Prime minister Vladimir Putin, who welcomed the present. Celebration was broadcasted on russian television and stars of the program were Russian Olympians from four generations.