Day one of the 43rd European Olympic Committees (EOC) Seminar saw delegates from European National Olympic Committees in attendance in Paris.

Delegates were welcomed by the President of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) Brigitte Henriques and she set the scene for the Seminar saying; “Unity, solidarity, inclusion and legacy are the key words of this 43rd Seminar.”

During his welcome address, EOC President Spyros Capralos highlighted the Seminar as a gateway to a busy summer, which will end with the General Assembly in Istanbul in October.

President Capralos said: “This seminar marks the start of the final countdown to what will be a defining summer for the European Olympic Committees.

“It begins on June 21st with the European Games, Europe’s premier multi-sport event and will conclude on October 7th with our General Assembly in Istanbul and the ratification of important constitutional changes.”

On the first day of the Seminar updates were given from the International Olympic Committee Director of NOC relations, Olympic Solidarity and Olympism365 James Macleod and Secretary General of the Association of the National Olympic Committees (ANOC) Gunilla Lindberg, focussing on the Beach Games in Bali this August.

Held in Paris ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in the French capital, there was a lengthy update from the Organising Committee of Paris 2024 to help the NOCs with their preparation, as well as an update on the Olympic Winter Games Milano-Cortina 2026.

With the European Games 2023 beginning in Poland next month, important updates were given to NOCs with final preparatory information. Chair of the European Games 2023 Coordination Commission Hasan Arat said; “We are incredibly grateful to the Polish organising committee who have overcome many challenges.

“The Games are just 40 days from now and I feel very positive with what the Polish organisers have done and we are ready to make the fine tuning.”

As well as the updates on future events, there were also informative presentations on the subject of sustainability in sport. Presentations were given by member of the EOC’s Sustainability and Active Society Commission Ms Rikke Rønholt Albertsen, Head of International Relations Ms Veronika Zemanova and International Relations Director Jana Janotova from Czechia NOC and The OCEAN project by the EOC EU Office Acting Deputy Director Eva Rebmann.

Voting for the Winter edition of the Piotr Nurowski Prize was also held and EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi praised the first day of discussion and debate.

EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi said: “Having spoken to a number of the delegates from across Europe in attendance today, we can definitely say that Day One of the Seminar was a success. Prior to the event we asked the NOCs what subjects they would be most interested in discussing, we honoured their requests, and this resulted in an interactive and thought-provoking discussion offering fantastic knowledge sharing and learning.