The 44th Seminar of the European Olympic Committee (EOC), which gathered representatives of all the national committees of the Old Continent, and which is hosted by the Montenegrin Olympic Committee (COK), began in Budva today.
During two working days in the Hotel Splendid, plenary sessions and workshops will discuss and discuss numerous current Olympic topics, and Montenegro is hosting such an important international sports and Olympic event for the first time.
“It is a great honor and pleasure for us to host our friends from all over Europe. For the Montenegrin Olympic Committee and for our country, this is an extremely important event and an opportunity to once again confirm ourselves as worthy hosts of large international gatherings. The presence of representatives of almost all European national Olympic committees and many distinguished sports officials confirms the importance of this seminar as a key platform for dialogue and cooperation in European sports. Through an open exchange of experiences and ideas, we will work together to improve the sports system and promote Olympic values throughout Europe,” the host, president of the Croatian Olympic Committee, Dušan Simonović, greeted the participants and added:
“The Olympic movement is not only sport, the Olympic movement also opens topics that are not in the focus of the wider public, which generally only accepts sports results. But, for the Olympic movement, sport is not a goal but a means, which represents universal values, which are foreseen by the Olympic Charter, the European Sports Agenda , even in the charters of the United Nations. We pay close attention to these values in COK, and we will pay even more attention in the future,” Simonović said.
Spiros Kapralos, president of EOK, thanked the Montenegrin Olympic Committee for the exceptional hospitality and the excellently organized seminar.
“We are happy to be in Montenegro, in beautiful Budva, and grateful to the Montenegrin Olympic Committee for its organizational skills to prepare everything in the best possible way. I would like to personally congratulate President Dušan Simonović for his leadership role in the preparation of such a large seminar, in which almost 200 people participate. It is not easy, but it shows that COK has exceptional organizational capabilities, which it showed in 2019, when it organized a beautiful sports competition in an exceptional way – the Games of the Small Countries of Europe”, said Kapralos.
Dragoslav Šćekić, Minister of Sports and Youth in the Government of Montenegro, emphasized that this is a unique opportunity for Montenegro to “dedicate ourselves to improving sports, exchanging ideas and creating new initiatives that will advance the Olympic movement in Europe”.
“Every new idea, every innovation, every change we introduce through this seminar has the potential to shape the future of sports. This event is not only an opportunity to exchange experiences, but also to create new solutions that will lead our children, athletes and society towards a better future”, said Šćekić.
The agenda of the seminar covered a wide range of relevant issues.
The first session was dedicated to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and Toshio Tsurunaga from the Department of Relations with Athletes and National Olympic Committees at the IOC, as well as Toni Estange, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, conveyed their impressions via video messages.
The report on the results of European sportsmen and women at the Games in Paris was presented by Peter Brul, sports director of the EOK, who proudly emphasized that 43 percent of the medals were won by male and female athletes from the countries of the Old Continent.
The delegates were also introduced to the activities of the Olympic Foundation for Refugees, and the IOC’s report on Olympic values was presented.
A significant part of the seminar was devoted to the research of the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in sports, which was discussed by Ilario Korna, Chief Information Technology Director of the IOC, and representatives of the companies Deloitte, Alibaba and Swiss Timing. The discussions highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in improving sports operations and athletes’ performance.
The day concluded with a practical presentation on sustainability management, held by Dr. Holger Prejs from the IOC Heritage and Sustainability Commission, and a presentation by Jacques Žeferi, biathlete and ambassador for sustainability.
In the second part of the first working day, the seminar was focused on sustainability and gender equality in sport, with presentations by Jorgina Grenon from the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, and Berit Kjol and Annamarie Phelps from the EOK committee. These sessions emphasized the key role of sustainability in the Olympic movement and continued efforts towards achieving gender equality in sport.
The discussions on the first day laid a strong foundation for the objectives of the seminar, providing valuable insights and encouraging constructive dialogue among participants.
“The correct use of artificial intelligence can bring great results. As for gender equality, we had an identical number of male and female athletes at the Paris Olympics, but that is just the beginning. We do not have such equality in the governing bodies, among coaches and judges, so we need to continue our efforts in that direction. When it comes to sustainability, we take care of our environment, and in sports we can do even more and be leaders in that area”, emphasized Spiros Kapralos, president of EOK.
On the second day of the 44th EOK Seminar, activities in the organization of the 17th Winter European Youth Olympic Games (EYOF), which will be held from February 9 to 16, 2025 in Bakuriani (Georgia), and the 18th Summer EYOF will be presented. , hosted by Skopje from July 20 to 26, 2025.
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