European Olympic family is waiting for us

The idea to regroup the European National Olympic Committees (NOCs), which was inspired by Giulio Onesti (Italy), Raoul Mollet (Belgium) and Raymond Gafner (Switzerland), originally started in 1967 in Teheran, to eventually become what was later known as ANOC (Association of National Olympic Committees) within the International Olympic Committee.

It was not until 1975 in Lisbon, that the Association had written statutes and a definitive name "The Association of European NOCs" (AENOC).

The 1980 General Assembly, which had reached 33 members by that time, elected Franco Carraro as President of the European NOCs.

During the 80's, the Association's traditional meetings – the General Assembly and the Seminar for Secretaries-General and Chefs de Mission – addressed the main topics: the preparation of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Solidarity, marketing, etc. The OCOGs, the Organizing Committees for the future Olympic Games, became permanent guests in these meetings.

In 1989, the Presidency was entrusted to Dr. Jacques Rogge (Belgium) and the Secretariat was opened in Rome, at the office of Secretary-General Mario Pescante (Italy). The activities of the European NOCs expanded under their leadership. Starting in 1991, due to the political changes in Europe, 15 more NOCs joined the Association.

In 1995, for practical reasons, AENOC changed its name to become the European Olympic Committees. Its legal seat that had been itinerant until then was established in Lausanne close to the International Olympic Committee, while the operational headquarters settled in Rome, close to the Italian Olympic Committee.

Today, EOC has 48 members National European Olympic Committees. After the admission of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee into the IOC, it will become 49th member of the EOC.
In July 2001 during the 112th IOC Session in Moscow, Dr. Jacques Rogge became IOC President. Four months later in Monte-Carlo, the 30th EOC General Assembly elected Mario Pescante as President of the European Olympic Committees while the General Secretariat was entrusted to Patrick Hickey, President of the Olympic Council of Ireland.

In December last year, Hickey succeeded Pescante, and Italian Raffaele Pagnozzi became Secretary General.

On the IOCs initiative, in 1985. EOC started with organisation of Games of Small European States (GSSE), in Malta, for European states with population less than a million, and fitst games were in Malta. Since than, Games are being held every second year, with bigger success every year. Montenegro fulfills all conditions to become the participant of these Games.
In 1990. Rogge initiated European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) taking place every two years – once for summer, second time for winter sports.