The European Olympic Committees (EOC) Executive Committee (ExCo) met for the first time in 2024 on 6 February, hosted by the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) in Madrid.

EOC President Spyros Capralos and the ExCo members welcomed COE President Mr Alejandro Blanco to the meeting and thanked both him and Secretary General Mrs Victoria Cabezas, who is an ExCo Member, for hosting.

The meeting reflected on the tremendous success of the four multisport events the EOC delivered in 2023, highlighted by Deloitte’s report on the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023, which has allowed the EOC to enter 2024 in a strong financial position.

A delegation from Türkiye’s largest city, Istanbul, attended the ExCo, where they presented their plans for their proposed hosting in 2027, the fourth edition of Europe’s premier multisport event. President Capralos thanked the delegation for their attendance and praised the city as a potential host.

He said: “It is a sign of the standing of the European Games and the success of last year’s event that a city such as Istanbul are prepared to host the fourth edition in 2027. In today’s world, it is very difficult to attract candidates to organise multisport events, but Istanbul have demonstrated that they have the infrastructure required to host the Games and would welcome the benefits that it would bring to the city. We look forward to visiting Istanbul for further discussions.”

Director General of Sport Istanbul Mr. İzzet Renay said: “Istanbul is ready to host the 2027 European Games and build on the fantastic success that the EOC has overseen in the previous three editions. Our city is a sporting city, and we already have the main infrastructure in place to host a successful and sustainable event. It was an honour to present to the EOC Executive Committee and we look forward to welcoming them to Istanbul to discuss our plans further.”

Another key focus for the ExCo was looking forward to 2024 and how the EOC will continue to lead the European Olympic Movement with the Olympic Games returning to the continent for the first time in 12 years and the opportunities the Games bring.

President Capralos said: “The Olympic Games return to Europe, and it makes us very happy that Europe maintains its position at the top of the medal table. This is demonstrated in competition after competition, including recently at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon and, in Paris, we hope to win more than 40% of the medals. This shows that Europe continues to invest in sport and the medals of each of its great athletes belong to their entire country.”

Also discussed in detail were the recruitment of the EOC’s first Chief Executive Officer, changes to the format of the General Assembly to help with modernising the event and plans for the European House at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Furthermore, the ExCo were given important updates on the Winter and Summer European Youth Olympic Festivals preparations for 2025 and the candidates for 2027.

After the meeting, President Capralos said: “We have had an excellent and productive meeting here in Madrid. I am very happy with the state of affairs for the EOC following 2023, which has left us in a strong financial position at the start of 2024 and ready to capitalise on the Olympic Games return to Europe. The forthcoming confirmation of our new CEO and the exciting prospect of an excellent bid for the European Games in 2027 add to our optimism and excitement.

“I would like to give special thanks to our friends at the Spanish Olympic Committee for hosting us. Their support and commitment to European Sport is far reaching.”

Some pictures can be found here.